Khalida Parveen, one of the scores of Muslim women who were targeted by the makers of the Bulli Bai app, emphasised on the seriousness of the case and criticised those who were seeking forgiveness for the accused and counselling for them.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Parveen pointed out that poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar suggested in a tweet that 18-year-old Shweta Singh, one of the accused in the case, be shown compassion and be forgiven. Ms. Parveen said that she was against this suggestion, and added that “such a counselling should be done in jail”.
“I am angry with Javed sahab. He does not represent us. Putting up our photos and ‘auctioning’ us off is a cyber crime. Irrespective of whether the accused is an adult or minor, they should be punished according to the law. To say that they should be treated with love is fine, but counselling should be done in jail,” she said.
Ms. Parveen, who is an activist and engaged in philanthropy, said that there were many people who have lost their parents, “but that does not drive them to commit crimes”.
She expressed concern that the arrest of the four accused in the case could be ‘just one layer’, and that there could be several cohorts. She hoped that law enforcement agencies would investigate the matter thoroughly. “These people are technologically empowered. It should be investigated whether there are bigger players behind this,” she added.
Touching upon the issue of expressing solidarity with those who have been targeted in the Bulli Bai app case, she said that women are already at the forefront, and leading the movement for justice. “Today, they auctioned us by this app. Tomorrow it can be other women. We are already at the front. It would be nice if our allies stood with us, by our side,” she said.
