A Telegram channel that allegedly targeted Hindu women has been blocked, and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said the government is coordinating with police authorities of states for further action in the matter.
The particular channel on messaging platform Telegram was flagged on social media by users who pointed out that it was targeting Hindu women, sharing their photos and abusing them.
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday tweeted: "Channel blocked. Government of India coordinating with police authorities of states for action".
Recently, photographs of at least 100 influential Muslim women being uploaded for 'auction' on an app had sparked widespread outrage.
The uploading of pictures on the app 'Bulli Bai' was similar to the 'Sulli Deals' case in July last year.
The app 'Bulli Bai' worked just the same way as 'Sulli Deals' did. Once opened, a Muslim woman's face was randomly displayed. Muslim women with a strong presence on Twitter, including journalists, were singled out and their photos had been uploaded.
The cyber cell of Mumbai Police, which is probing the 'Bulli Bai' app case, has detained a 19-year-old woman, believed to be the main culprit, from Uttarakhand and arrested an engineering student from Bengaluru, officials had said on Tuesday.
While there was no actual 'auction' or 'sale', the purpose of the app -- which had been hosted on GitHub -- seemed to be to humiliate and intimidate the targeted women, many of whom are active social media users.
Last week, Vaishnaw had said GitHub, the hosting platform, has confirmed blocking the user and that the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and police authorities were coordinating further action.
