Bois Locker Room
Yes friends, do you remember that in May 2020 when we were all at our home due to lockdown and were looking for ways to keep ourselves busy, at that time a scandal of some school students of Delhi was very much discussed in the media.
It is not that students have done this kind of action for the first time.
But what was the reason that this Boys Locker Room Case of Delhi remained the subject of breaking news for the media for many days?
When and how did the mischief convert to crime?
Whose fault was it and what were the legal aspects?
What happened to the case?
And what should we learn?
With reference to this case, we will know the answers to all these questions.
Some students of South Delhi, age group of 16-17 years, formed a chat group on Instagram ‘Boys Locker Room’. About 100 boys were in this group. Children from all good elite families and studying in reputed schools.
Starting with normal chat went to funny, jokes and then comments, things were fine till this time, but the train derailed when porn jokes and comments came into it. Then it became just competition. Photographs of girls of their own class were posted, making lewd comments on photos of girls, use of morphed photographs, Bla Bla Bla
Suddenly a member of the group started sharing screen shots of group chat outside the group.
It was a spicy post, so it immediately started going viral. People were discussing about it
Then comes climax in the story. That was because of the story number two that merges into it.
A school going girl from Delhi makes a fake id named Siddharth on Snapchat and starts chatting with a boy. Chat level was same as we have seen in story no 1. The boy does not even know that he is involved with a fake id.
One day Siddharth (who is this fake id) shares complete plans of Gang Rape with and a girl to this boy and forces him to get involved as well.
The girl who is in this planning is nobody else but the same person who has created fake id, that is, she gives the planning of a Gang Rape with herself only.
You might get surprised!
But it happened.
Well let’s look forward,
The boy showed no interest in this matter and closed the conversation. But this boy shared the planning chat with his other friends and also told the girl who was being talked about. The girl still remained silent.
This post also went viral and was seen in association with the story no; 1’s chats which were already viral.
There was a loud noise all around.
‘Hey, Gang Rape is being planned in the Boys Locker Room Group.’,
‘Rape culture is being encouraged.’
‘Feminism in danger.’
‘Atrocities on women.’
Everybody understood it in his own version, and lifted the flag. May it be main stream media or social media, everyone got the spicy content for breaking news.
The matter also went to the Delhi Commission for Women. The commission’s President Swati Maliwal took the matter seriously and filed a FIR with police.
In the investigation, the police tracked a lot of the id’s of the group and arrested about 23 boys including the group admin.
The group chat was foun highly objectionable which from the legal aspect attracts many sections of the IPC and IT Act as well.
Interesting thing is that when it came to light that the post with Gang Rape Plan is not from this group. The police tracked the fake id and reached out to that girl.
The girl simply gave the statement that “I just wanted to check the integrity of that boy”.
Friends, it is not that this was the only chat group in which things like this has happened. In Delhi itself, a chat group of girls run on a twitter was also in limelight at that time. The screenshots of this group also went viral. Content was of the same level as that of the boys group.
Broadly speaking, it is understood that things like sexual content, abusive comments, body-shaming and objectification are no longer limited to gender specific or age group specific, it is becoming a common issue.
Who is responsible for this?
We will discuss its moral, social and psychological aspect separately sometime.
In today’s video, we will focus on its legal aspects.
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YOU ARE LIABLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS
It should be well understood that if 100 people did wrong things and nothing happened to them, it does not mean that we also get the right to commit that mistake.
If on social media we post a content that hurts someone and a legal case is made, then we cannot give the excuse that other people also do this and we did it by following them.
There will be legal action if there is a complaint.
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ELECTRONIC EVIDENCES ARE ADMISSIBLE IN COURT
Whatever message or mail you send through electronic mode, whether you have sent it to someone private or in a closed group, it becomes a document.
Even if you delete that chat, it can be retrieved if needed. These documents are accepted as electronic evidence by the court. If your call has also been recorded or your movement has been recorded in the camera then these evidence can also be used.
It means to say that, none of your activity on the internet can be secret. So keep full responsibility in your online behavior.
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BE SENSIBLE TO YOUR SENSITIVE DATA
It is your first responsibility to protect your sensitive data. Do not share to anyone your photo / video which can create problem, if they become public. You do not know when your account or that person’s account will be hacked.
Many social activists propagate ‘why the victim should be held responsible’,
They will talk about freedom of expression.
Well, all these things are effective only when we have fulfilled our responsibility. It is not possible if we leave our valuables in the open and expect the whole world to behave morally.
If we have taken all measures of protection and then there is a mishap then we can take legal help.
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LEGAL PROVISIONS
Breach of someone’s privacy, share someone’s photo, photo morphing, defaming or abusive comment, sexually explicit content sharing is punishable offence. For this, section 66E, 67, 67A, 67B of the IT Act is applicable.
Section 354D, 465, 471, 499, 500, and 509 of IPC will also be applicable.
Sections 14 and 15 of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offence) Act are also applicable if the victim is minor.
In the case which we have discussed today, because the accused are also minor, they may get some relief because of Juvenile Justice Act.
Although all the offenses are bail able in the IT Act, but these days, due to the seriousness of the cases, the court has even rejected some of the bail applications also.
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Ignorance of law is no excuse.
If you want to drive on the road then it is your responsibility to follow the traffic rules and take care of your safety.
Similarly, if you are using internet and social media, then it will be your responsibility to follow its rules and take care of your safety.
Even after doing so, if there is an accident, then we can take help of the law.
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SELF HELP IS FIRST
As it is not just by making laws we can make the social environment healthy, we have to fulfill our social responsibility. Similarly, to make the cyber environment healthy, we all have to know the cyber safety rules and create awareness.
Just a few days ago CBI arrested a TV Artist in Mumbai under POCSO Act. It is alleged that after influencing children on social media, he used to get sexually explicit photos / videos from them and then sell them in the international market. The data of about 1000 children is recovered from him. Once a child falls into their trap, it is difficult to get out because they are blackmailed.
In such a situation, children or people who are emotionally weak can come under depression and can take any wrong step.
So let us all together make Cyber Safety Awareness a campaign.
In particular, I would like to say to the parents and teachers of teenager children that they should update themselves about this and give so much space to their children too so that if they are in any such problem, they can discuss it openly with you. If you have come to know that the child is in trouble and is unable to share, then do not hesitate to take help of any counselor.
Delay can cause more risk.
