BOIS LOCKER ROOM AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA GRADUATES

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"For all the SOCIAL MEDIA graduates it's high time to graduate from the UNIVERSITY OF SNAPCHAT after graduating from the UNIVERSITY OF WHATSAPP and the UNIVERSITY OF INSTAGRAM."

-Bhaskar Sharma

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3 May 2020,  

         

               While the whole world is dealing with the Coronavirus outbreak somewhere in India we got a breathless hush in the nation's capital (DELHI) and the neighboring city GURUGRAM. An online group allegedly involving teenage boys from the reputed schools of Delhi and Gurugram found guilty of talking about rape, slut-shaming, and sexually objectifying school girls. This news has set a storm on social media platforms and is trending on the social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram with the #boislockerroom.

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               We talk of high morals, values, and education in society nowadays but this news has shown the mirror to society. It had clearly shown our failure as an individual as well as collectively as a society.

               The controversy flared on Sunday, May 3, when several social media users posted the story on Twitter and Instagram of an Instagram group named "BOIS LOCKER ROOM". 

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               The trending screenshots show the students of class 11 and 12 of some high profile schools of South Delhi and Gurugram - posting photos of teenage girls without their consent along with comments too crude to be reproduced. They were captured discussing about the future sex positions with their future girlfriends, including flipping girls over their stomach during sex. 

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               Several conversations purportedly (reportedly) showed that the users involved in the chats were talking about the sexual assault often against their own classmates, raising questions about normalizing rape, misogyny, and objectification in school.

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               As the drama unfolded the Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Mailwal called for the arrest of those associated with the group. 'The DCW has also sent a notice to Instagram and Delhi Police. We want these boys to be arrested and strong action to be taken against them" she added. 

Source: Twitter

 

              After all this, an FIR was launched and on Wednesday, 6 May after two days of the launch of an FIR the Delhi Police's Cyber Crime Cell (CCC) arrested the admin of the Instagram group "BOIS LOCKER ROOM". Whereas the police have apprehended (arrested) a 15-year old boy in the case and five more students in front of their parents on Tuesday, 5 May. They have also issued a notice to 21 other members of the group, asking them to probe(a thorough investigation in a crime or other matter) in the coming days. 

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              "The LOCKER ROOM is just the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands of chat rooms openly discussing sex in India. But the saddest part is that no one will ever get down to the bottom of such scandal. Big schools can not afford to get tainted. Schools are big business." says Pavan Duggal, an expert in cybercrime.

              "Students are developing a strange habit of not sharing anything with parents, they are bottled up a lot. And one day the fizz gets out of their system and they take drastic steps. What is worrying is that once they plan to die, they turn extra normal ." adds Duggal.

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              A 17-year-old boy jumped to death from his 11th-floor apartment in Gurugram. Parents of the boy who committed suicide told the cops that they were unaware that their child was being accused of molestation on social media by a girl, and the charges, in turn, triggered his suicide from his families 11th floor home in Gurugram. The boy who jumped to death in Gurugram had ordered burgers and had dinner with his family before taking this extreme step. Cops says that the boy was worried about the FIR that would be logged and his parents would be scandalized, and it will also hamper the chances of him studying abroad. A written complaint has been made to the Gurugram Police, seeking a case be registered under section related to abetment (encourage) to suicide. Investigation is on the girl who allegedly put out the Instagram post and has been questioned by the Gurugram Police. The boy's parents have told the cops that the Instagram post-caused-large scale public shaming and mental harassment to their son. The cops are probing if the boy received unlawful and illegal threats over the phone or allegedly molesting the girl. 

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              "The lockdown has created a large divide between parents and children. There is no physical contact, students are hyperventilating on the internet, becoming unknown victims of cybercrime," says Duggal.

 

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              The question that remained unanswered here is "Who actually is responsible for the death jump of that 17-year-old the girl who shared the screenshots as the Instagram story or the Social Media graduates who repeatedly posted the story without any consent?" What do you think who is more responsible let me know in the comment section?

Source: Instagram

              Now moving forward to the screenshot of a parallel story that was being mixed with the "BOIS LOCKER ROOM" story by some of our graduates of the University of Instagram who don't even know that the screenshot they are sharing is of a chat done on Snapchat application and the Bois Locker Room is an Instagram based account. That's the reason I at the starting of the article quoted that it's high time for the graduates of the University of Instagram and Whatsapp to graduate from Snapchat. I hereby from this platform want to appeal to everybody reading this article that if you receive any news on any social media platform please don't forward that news until you are sure of that news. This unnecessary spreading of such news creates chaos and makes you a part of the system which spread rumors. 

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              The screenshot that got viral was off the chats between two individuals on a social media platform referred to as Snapchat. The chats were actually a discussion of gang-raping a girl. According to the senior police officer of Delhi Police, the chats were actually made by a girl using a fake name, 'Sidharth', and suggested a plan of "aggravated sexual assault on herself " to a male friend, just to gauge his reaction.

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              "Using a fake identity of a male person, she suggested a plan to sexually assault herself. The purpose of sending such chat messages using a fake, fictional identity was to check the reaction of the boy and the strength of his character, especially when someone talks bad about the girl herself," the officer said.

              "The boy, however, declined to participate in any such plan suggested by 'Sidharth' and stopped any further conversation," added officer. The boy who got worried took screenshots of the chats on Snapchat and sent it to his friends and the girl itself.

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              The boy sent the screenshot of the chat to the girl to alert her that someone was planning an assault on her. He was obvious of the fact that the girl, in fact, was 'Sidharth', and had herself started the chats to judge his character, the officer said.

              While the girl didn't forward the screenshots to anyone, the boy shared it with some of his friends. One of his friends then posted it on his Instagram as his story, and after it started circulating on stories of different users.

              The police have confirmed that there was no gang rape or sexual assault planned in the bois locker room group. There were morphed pictures and body shaming content on the group which is too not acceptable.

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              The police have also confirmed that they will not be taking any action against the girl. They have given her a clean chit. But, what do you think is it right to let her go without any punishment? According to me she is guilty and being a juvenile she should be given a lesson as she has instinctively provoked a guy to sexually assault her and by this she is diverting a constructive mind. I  think that Delhi Police should reconsider the matter and strict action should be taken against the girl so that it can be a lesson for the teenagers that there will be repercussions of your acts.

              You have been a great audience. I thank you all from the bottom of heart as you have successfully read another article by me. I hope you may have enjoyed and might have got some clarifications. In the end, I would like to say that we might have different perspectives and if I have offended you anyhow with this article then I'm heartily sorry but it was all my perspective my point of view towards this story. And yes please let me know who do you think was responsible for the death jump of that 17-year-old boy? And also let me know your thoughts about the action taken by Delhi Police on the girl who violated the IT acts and forged the chats and fake identified herself as Sidharth? Is it somewhere generation gap or is it a result of bad parenting or the society is responsible for such acts? Hit the comments section with your views and answers to the questions.

THANK YOU!!