Tit for Tat! Brave Girl Takes to Task Vigilantes for Posting her Pics on WhatsApp
Mangaluru: “Enough is Enough…their tactics will not work with me”, with that kind of attitude a 20 year-old- brave young college student doing her post graduation in the city has taken to task Right Wing Groups for posting her image with a Muslim student on Whatsapp, which has very much humiliated her. The victim, Shruti (name Changed) who has boldly taken the step has filed a case at the Mangaluru City South Police Station (Pandeshwar), against those circulating the picture, and also for threatening her male friend with dire consequences and death. In her complaint, she has identified at least six WhatsApp groups and their users, and named Dakshayini Shetty, Shailesh and Sreehari (apart from these three men, a female is also included in the complaint) for allegedly circulating the message among different groups. A case was filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) 505 and 509.
For the last few days, the image of Shruti along with her friends, one being a Muslim by the name of Hamza Kinya, has been making rounds on certain WhatsApp groups, accompanied by a message in Kannada which read: “Hamza Kinya is roaming around on bike with our Hindu girls in broad daylight… If he is further seen roaming around with Hindu girls, Hindu organizations must reply and act on him.” Shruti who is also District Secretary of the Student Federation of India (SFI), took this bold step against the Right Wing Activists with the consent and full support from her mother.
Speaking to media Shruti had said, “These vigilantes have been circulating WhatsApp messages with an old photograph of mine, a selfie taken a year ago, from my Facebook account, when a group of students were travelling to Bengaluru from Mangaluru to attend a state SFI convention/camp. The group included Hamza Kinya, who is Joint Secretary of the district SFI. It was uploaded by one of my friends. Being in an organization like SFI, we are required to travel to such camps with other office bearers including myself. Those inimical to my growth as a leader wanted to tarnish my image and out of jealous have circulated these photos on Whatsapp. It is very humiliating and hurtful “
Shruti’s mother, who is a active member of CPI (M)- affiliated Beedi Workers’ Association fully supporting her daughter speaking to media had said, “Moral policing and all other tactics by harassing innocent by these right wing groups needs to be stopped immediately. Just the other day a group of college girls on a picnic at Pilikula Nisargadhama were harassed, just because they were in the company of boys of other community. It’s also sad to note that a girl committed suicide in Mudigere/Chikkamagaluru dist couple of days ago, because she was haunted by Saffron groups for talking/hanging around with a boy from different religion. It’s about time that police should take severe action against these vigilantes”
It is learnt that Police Commissioner TR Suresh, on the basis of the complaints by mother and daughter duo, has forwarded the complaint to the city’s cyber crime branch, for further stiff action.