All this is also reflective of the type of society we live in -- patriarchal, misogynist, opaque. While the task may appear daunting and impossible, a beginning has to be made somewhere (Representational Image)
In the wake of two apps – Su**i Deals and Bu**i Bai – putting up names, images, Twitter handles and other details of outspoken Muslim women, offering them up for “auction”, Citizens for Justice and Peace and several human rights organisations have come together to write a joint letter to the Mumbai Police Commissioner, urging him to conduct a deeper probe into the matter so that the real perpetrators of these heinous crimes can be revealed.
Over 50 organisations and individuals have signed the petition, including Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), Forum Against Oppression of Women (FAOW), Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (Mumbai), Justice Coalition of Religious Workshop (West India), People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) – Maharashtra, Bebaak Collective, Haq Hai, Parcham Collective, and many others.
The letter acknowledges the swift action taken by the Mumbai Police in arresting three perpetrators, but raises concerns regarding the wider conspiracy and how that should be investigated in-depth. “We are well aware that in your public briefings to the media, you have indicated that while three persons have been arrested, some more people were likely to be involved in the wider conspiracy or crime. There are also reports that you are probing why some of the Twitter handles which promoted the app used Sikh-sounding names,” says the letter.
It further says, “Sir, more often than not, when it comes to such cases of generating systemic and societal hatred against a section of our people, especially women from marginalized sections, the persons who set things in motion are often found to be pawns of people who have power and clout, both political, social and economic. It seems clear, these young people who are now accused in the case, had some ‘influential persons’ and ‘forces’ who may have been directing them to act. Investigating these would possibly reveal the larger, grave and sinister motives behind these ‘auctions’.”
The letter urges the police “to investigate hard and dig deeper into this matter to get to the root of which individuals or organizations are the real conspirators” and asks for regular press and public briefings in the interest of transparency.
The entire letter may be read here: Letter to Mumbai CP
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