New Delhi: The 'Bois Locker room' controversy erupted across the country recently after the conversation in a group belonging to mostly teenagers from the 'high class' of Delhi broke out in the open. Screenshots of the chats which were shared on social media showed minors glorified rape culture and indulged in sharing obscene photos of underage girls and women on the group.
After an uproar, the Delhi police launched an investigation into the matter and discovered that boys, as young as 16 and 17, were students at elite schools of the national capital, had made a 'fun' group where they shared pictures of girls of the same age or less and objectified them.
We take a look at the timeline of the Bois Locker room controversy that has drawn the attention from across the country:
May 3: Bois Locker Room, an Instagram group, get busted online after a Twitter user shares screenshots of some private chats where members were seen sharing morphed and obscene pictures of females. The screenshots showed the group members participated in an open conversation of body shaming of the young girls as well as promoted rape culture. The posts led to a storm on Twitter and saw a lot of aggravation coming out. A number of screenshots featuring disturbing chats of the group featured online, drawing the attention of the Delhi Police and Delhi Commission For Women.
May 4: The Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) issued notices to the police and Instagram over a group on the social networking site being used to share obscene comments and pictures of minor girls and women. Delhi Police initiates a probe in the matter.
May 4: The Cyber Cell unit of Delhi Police writes to Instagram to share details of the group's members and admin.
May 5: Delhi Police registers a case under IT Act 66 and 67A and apprehend a minor. Police also begins an investigation about other members of the group.
May 6: Delhi Police arrest a Class 12 student, above 18 years of age and a Noida resident, for creating the Bois Locker Room Instagram group on which obscene messages and morphed photos of underage girls were shared. 15 more students of prominent Delhi schools were questioned and their phones were seized.
May 6: Facebook-owned Instagram issues statement on the controversy, said the company removed the objectionable content that violated its community standards as soon as it was made aware of it.
May 6: Two advocates urge Delhi High Court Chief Justice DN Patel to take suo motu (on his own) cognisance of the incident of Bois Locker Room case.
May 8: DCW chief Swati Maliwal, who voiced her opinion on Bois Locker Room controversy, files a complaint with police after she allegedly received death threats on Twitter.
May 9: A PIL moved in Delhi High Court seeking an SIT or CBI investigation into the Bois Locker Room social media group controversy. The PIL sought protection for the girls and women who called out the alleged criminal activities in the social media group. Court sets hearing on the matter on May 13.
May 10: In a fresh development in the case, the Delhi Police revealed that the alleged 'sexual assault' conversation on Snapchat between two people was made by one juvenile, a girl, posing as male, to another juvenile, a boy, so as to test his character and values.
