Telegram Channel Targeting Hindu Women Surfaces After Bulli Bai; IT Minister Assures Action

The Telegram channel was blocked after several social media users pointed out that it was sharing photos of Hindu women and abusing them.

A Telegram channel that allegedly targeted Hindu women was blocked on Wednesday (Getty Images)

New Delhi: Amid a row over the 'Bulli Bai' app case, a Telegram channel that allegedly targeted Hindu women was blocked on Wednesday, said Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The channel was blocked after several social media users pointed out that it was sharing photos of Hindu women and abusing them.

"Channel blocked. Government of India coordinating with police authorities of states for action," Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted.

Channel blocked. Government of India coordinating with police authorities of states for action. https://t.co/kCB6Ys8TI2

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) January 5, 2022

The development comes amid a controversy over the 'Bulli Bai' app, where morphed pictures, sourced without consent, of hundreds of Muslim women, including activists and professionals, were being uploaded for "auction". The app was hosted by GitHub.

The purpose of the app seemed to be to humiliate and intimidate influential Muslim women as there was no actual 'auction' or 'sale'. Earlier this week, Vaishnaw had said GitHub had confirmed blocking the user.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with Opposition leaders demanding a clampdown on such apps. The uploading of pictures on the 'Bulli Bai' app was similar to the 'Sulli Deals' case in July last year.

Three people have been arrested so far in connection with the Bulli Bai app case, Mumbai Police said. They have been identified as Mayank Rawal (21) from Uttarakhand, Shweta Singh (19), the alleged mastermid, and engineering student Vishal Kumar Jha (21), who was held from Bengaluru on Monday.

Police are also probing why some of the Twitter handles that promoted the app used Sikh-sounding names, PTI reported.