THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Social media attack on actor Parvathy for pointing out misogyny in Malayalam films with an apparent reference to Mammootty-starrer ‘Kasaba’ might be an isolated incident. But going by the data available with the state police, most women using social networking platforms are at the receiving end and they are unsafe in virtual space too. Of the 209 cases registered till September 2017, a majority pertains to social media abuse.
Until the end of September, as many as 209 cybercrime cases were registered in the state. Of these, most of them are related to the complaints of social media abuse. If the statistics of the last quarter of 2017 is taken into account, over 300 cases could be registered, sources in the police told Express.
In 2016, the total number of cases was 274 while the cases registered in 2015 stood at 315. All the cases have been registered under the Information technology (IT) Act and IPC sections. Sources said many complaints are also getting settled later following compromise talks.
S Sreekanth, Circle-Inspector of the Hi-tech cell, told Express a minimum of five complaints are coming to him daily. He said most of the cases are pertaining to defamation on social media by making abusive comments and misusing profile pictures. “A minimum of three complaints are being received daily by the 19 cyber cells functioning in the state. This shows the social media abuse against women is soaring by no means. Most of the complaints are related to creating fake profiles and derogatory remarks,” said Sreekanth.
M Sulfath, Chief Patron of ‘Wings Kerala’ - an NGO for the empowerment of women - said the freedom of expression of women on social media was being ‘suppressed’. “Be it a celebrity or a student, all women are being abused on the online platform. In fact, a section of people is not allowing women to come to the forefront to speak on social media. This is a pathetic state. Strong legal action should be there to protect us. However, there is a positive sign that women are coming forward to file complaints,” Sulfath said.
When contacted, State Police Chief Loknath Behera said there is a ‘limitation’ in registering criminal charges against those who post defamatory comments against women. “After Supreme Court had struck down Section 66A of the IT Act, it is difficult for the police to charge criminal offences against the culprits. However, if the complaint has things which come beyond the IT Act, we will invoke relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code against the culprits,” he said.