'Bulli Bai' app row: Delhi Union of Journalists expresses shock, urges police to act urgently

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The Delhi Union of Journalists and its gender council on Tuesday expressed shock and anger over the targeting of Muslim women, including several journalists, through a dodgy mobile application. Hundreds of Muslim women were listed for "auction" on the 'Bulli Bai' mobile application with photographs sourced without permission and doctored. It has happened for the second time in less than a year. The app appeared to be a clone of Sulli Deals which triggered a similar row last year.

The Delhi Police on Saturday registered an FIR against unknown persons for allegedly uploading a doctored picture of a woman journalist on a website. The journalist had lodged a complaint and shared a copy on Twitter. "We salute the bold women who filed FIRs against the publication of their photos, auctioning their bodies to bidders on the 'Bulli Bai' app. We urge the police in Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, where women have lodged complaints, to act urgently on the matter. Mumbai Police has detained a suspect from Bangalore but others need to be identified immediately," it said in a statement.

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The cyber cell of Mumbai police, probing the app case has arrested a 19-year-old woman, alleged to be the main culprit, from Uttarakhand, and a 21-year-old engineering student from Bengaluru. Vishal Kumar Jha, the student, and co-accused Shweta Singh reportedly knew each other. According to the police, more arrests are likely.

The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) said this is the second time that such a public "auction" of Muslim women has taken place. Had the police identified the culprits behind the infamous 'Sulli Deals' that was online six months ago, this targeting and terrorizing of Muslim women would not have been repeated, it said.

"Nearly 100 women have been attacked. Most of them are professionals, including journalists (some are members of the DUJ), historians, politicians and pilots. We urge more of them to come forward to report and voice their ordeal so that such hideous experiences are not repeated. The police and the courts must act now," the journalists' body said.