Pakistan condemns fake online auctions of Indian Muslim women as victims hope for justice

A Muslim woman looks on as she waits for transport at the old city of Hyderabad, India, on July 25, 2019. (AFP/File)

• BJP-led National Commission on Women says following up on case, in touch with police
• 'Bulli Bai' app is second attempt in less than a year to harass Muslim women online

NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday condemned a social media campaign in India behind the ‘sale’ of prominent Muslim women through a fake online auction app in a case that has sparked anger and outrage across the country.
More than 100 Muslim women, including journalists, activists, politicians, and even acclaimed Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi, were put up for auction on “Bulli Bai,” an open source app hosted on the web platform GitHub. The app, which has since been taken down, was the second attempt in less than a year to harass Muslim women. Last July, nearly 80 Muslim women were offered for sale in a similar “Sulli Deals” campaign.
“Bulli Bai” is a derogatory slang for Indian Muslims. Though there was no real sale involved, the Muslim women listed on the website have said the auction was meant to humiliate them, since many of them are vocal about rising Hindu nationalism in India and some of the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the despicable and totally unacceptable harassment and insult of Muslim women on the Internet and purpose-built online application in India,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“Their doctored images have been placed on the Internet application with outrageous captions for ‘auction.’ Hate-mongering followers of such applications attacked the dignity of nearly 100 influential Muslim women by ‘bidding’ on them with deeply offensive remarks.”
“This is the newest low in the violent streak of hate attacks against minorities in India ... These horrifying occurrences have left Muslim women traumatized and in deep fear.”
Indeed, many among India’s 170 million Muslims say they have been relegated to the status of second-class citizens since Modi’s BJP came to power in 2014. Indian women, particularly Muslims, have often found themselves as the target of hate and abuse on social media platforms, including Twitter. Outspoken Muslim women have received threats of rape and violence.
The head of the National Commission for Women, Rekha Sharma, who is a member of the BJP, said the commission, which works closely with the Indian government on issues concerning women, was in touch with police. 
“With the help of the Delhi police we tried to find out the individuals responsible but the problem is that the website is located in some other countries,” Sharma said. “They are not giving any details. Police are therefore finding it difficult to reach the right persons.”
Delhi Police did not respond to repeated attempts by Arab News on Monday to reach them but the Associated Press on Tuesday quoted Satej Patil, the technology minister for the Maharashtra state, as saying the cyber unit of Mumbai Police had detained a 21-year-old engineering student from the southern city of Bengaluru in the neighboring Karnataka state and registered a case against him. Police did not reveal the identity of the suspect, and it wasn’t clear whether the man had made the auction website.
Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women Association (AIPWA), said the online attacks on Muslim women was “not separate from the majoritarian project of the ruling BJP.”
Fatima Zohra, a Mumbai-based lawyer whose photos were displayed on both apps, also said the issue should be seen as part of growing Islamophobia in India. 
“Deep down I feel that all this happened because the culprits were given impunity as the victims are Muslim women,” she said. “What I wonder most is only Muslim women are targeted and especially those who are vocal and opinionated regarding anti-democratic policies of the state.”
Hana Mohsin Khan, a professional pilot based in New Delhi, said a repeat of the online campaign had left her feeling hopeless.
Khan filed a police complaint last July, when her name first appeared on the “Sulli Deals” app.
“I feel so dehumanized as a woman and a Muslim,” Khan said, adding: “I don’t see anything happening to the perpetrators again. I am really in a sad state.” 
But Ismat Ara, whose name and photo have been listed on the “Bulli Bai” app and who has lodged a complaint with authorities, said it was “important” to hold on to hope.
“Since no arrests have been made in the earlier case, it makes me skeptical,” Ara said. “At the same time it is also important to be hopeful because the first step has been taken by filing a police case and hope that something will come out that will put a stop to such incidents.”