Bulli Bai: Centre working with Delhi, Mumbai police, says Union IT Minister Vaishnaw

Mumbai(Maharashtra)/New Delhi: Mumbai Police has also filed a first information report (FIR) against unknown persons based on complaints that doctored photographs of women were uploaded for auction on ‘Bulli Bai’ application hosted by GitHub platform.

On Monday, West Mumbai Cyber Police station registered a case against the ‘Bulli Bai’ app developers and Twitter handles that promoted the app.

The case has been registered against the unknown culprits under sections 153(A) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion etc), 153(B) (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 295(A) (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), 354D (stalking), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 500 (criminal defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of Information Technology Act.

After both the Delhi and Mumbai police lodged FIR in the matter under relevant sections, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a tweet on Sunday said, “Government of India is working with police organisations in Delhi and Mumbai on this matter.”

Delhi Police on Sunday said that an FIR has been registered under section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code in the Cyber Police station of South-East district. The action by Delhi Police was taken based on a complaint by a woman journalist at the Cyber police station where she alleged that her photo was uploaded on a website to target her.

The complainant said that she was seeking immediate registration of FIR and immediate investigation against unknown people who are seeking to harass and insult Muslim women on social media and the internet.

Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the Centre is working with Delhi and Mumbai police to take “further action” on GitHub user behind the ‘Bulli Bai’ app. GitHub has blocked the site.

Vaishnaw late on Saturday tweeted that action has been taken and the GitHub user behind the ‘Bulli Bai’ app had been blocked and “further action” was being coordinated.”GitHub confirmed blocking the user this morning itself. Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Police authorities are coordinating further action,” Vaishnaw said in a reply to a tweet by Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi.

Delhi Police Special Cell had in July 2021 registered an FIR against the creators of a mobile application ‘SULLI DEAL’ for allegedly uploading photos of Muslim women without their consent, using inappropriate remarks against them. The app allegedly uploads photos of women without their consent and uses the hosting platform ‘GITHUB’ to auction the stolen photos.