The National Commission for Women on Tuesday wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik asking for a speedy inquiry into senior journalist Barkha Dutt’s complaint on Twitter about sexually abusive messages and threats to her life received on phone.
“It is requested to initiate speedy investigation in the matter and take action as per law,” NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma wrote to the Delhi Police Commissioner. She also demanded an update on the matter at the earliest.
“I have continued to get hundreds of abuses, sexually violent messages and threats to my life for a second day running. I urgently ask @Delhi Police @MPpoliceonline @ PoliceRajasthan @PunjabPoliceInd to intervene. FIR with Delhi Police,” Ms. Dutt appealed on Twitter on Tuesday.
In separate tweets, she posted that she had received 1,000 abusive messages, including a message to shoot her, a nude photo and a rape threat.
The Delhi police have confirmed that they have received a complaint from Ms. Dutt.
When Ms. Dutt decided to make some of the phone numbers public and post an obscene picture she had received, she found her account locked by Twitter temporarily until she wrote to them calling Twitter an “enabler of abuse and sexual violence”.
“As per Twitter rules, you may not publish or post other people’s private information without their express authorisation and permission. This includes private contact information, such as non-public, personal phone numbers,” a Twitter spokesperson said.
Scribes express concern
Meanwhile, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, the Press Club of India and the Press Association issued a statement expressing deep concern over journalists being “bombarded by calls threatening violence, including sexual violence and other forms of intimidation,” after they offered to help Kashmiris. They appealed to the Ministry of Home Affairs to identify and book the callers.
