The cyber cell of Delhi Police has identified 10 members, including minors, of an Instagram group which was being used to share obscene messages and morphed pictures of underage girls on the social media site, officials said on Tuesday as the case sparked massive outrage.
They said a minor has also been apprehended and quizzed and the devices used to engage in the offensive, vulgar communication have been seized from the members of the group known as 'Bois Locker Room'.
The police has also asked Instagram to provide details of the accounts of the group, officials said.
Delhi Women and Child Development Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said it was a shocking incident and cannot be tolerated. According to an official, the WCD department will work with Directorate of Education to chalk out a strategy to curb such incidents.
On its part, the Instagram said it takes the issue "very seriously" and does not allow such behaviour. It said the objectionable content featuring minor girls was removed from the platform as soon as it was made aware of it.
Taking cognizance of the matter, the Delhi Commission of Women had issued notice to Instagram and Delhi Police.
DCW chief Swati Maliwal on Tuesday said the guilty should not be spared.
As of now, about 10 members of the group have been identified. The identified members who are major, are being examined. The minor members of the group are being dealt with as per the provisions of Juvenile Justice Act, police officials said.
Some of those involved are from reputed schools in the national capital.
Information about the group came to light after a girl shared screenshots of its activities, following which the group started being called out on social media.
The police said during social media monitoring, it was noticed that the group was being used by the participants to share obscene messages and morphed pictures.
A case under relevant sections of IT Act and IPC was registered on Monday, officials said.
Further action will be taken on the basis of material evidence that is gathered in the course of investigation, they added.
Gautam said in a tweet, "This is a very shocking incident in which some youngsters were involved. DCW chief Swati Maliwal took cognisance of the matter and sent out a strong message that such incidents won't be tolerated."
In a statement, Instagram asserted that it accords top priority to ensure that its users can express themselves in a "safe and respectful way".
"We absolutely do not allow behaviour that promotes sexual violence or exploits anyone, especially women and young people, and have actioned content violating our Community Standards as we were made aware of it," a Facebook spokesperson said. Instagram is owned by Facebook.
The company said the objectionable content that violated its community standards was removed as it was made aware of it, before they received the DCW notice.
The spokesperson emphasised that the company has policies that disallow the sharing of non-consensual intimate imagery, as well as threats to share such imagery. "We take this issue very seriously. Ensuring our community can express themselves in a safe and respectful way is our top priority," the spokesperson said.
People expressed their anger on social media, highlighting issues like gender bias, objectification of women and the need to keep a check on online activities of children.
Actress and activist Swara Bhaskar said it was an example of how "toxic masculinity starts young" and "we must attack the mentality that creates rapists".
"#boyslockerroom a telling tale of how toxic masculinity starts young! Underage boys gleefully planning how to rape & gangrape minor girls. Parents & teachers must address this with those Kids.. Not enough to hang rapists' .. we must attack the mentality that creates rapists!," she tweeted.
Later in the evening, '#GirlsLockerRoom' started trending on Twitter talking about similar social media groups with vulgar comments by females.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
