Admin of Instagram group 'Bois Locker Room' arrested; Swara Bhasker says 'toxic masculinity starts young'

New Delhi, May 7

Delhi Police's Cyber cell has arrested the admin of the Instagram group which was being used to share obscene messages and morphed pictures of underage girls on the social media site, officials said on Wednesday.

Police said the 18-year-old admin of the group, known as "Bois Locker Room", appeared for his class 12 board examinations this year.

He is a student at a school in Delhi-NCR.

Four group members, who all are majors, above 18 years, have joined the probe on Wednesday, a senior police official said.

The admin created the group in the first week of April and added his friends and their acquaintances from other schools and neighbourhood, which is how the group expanded, he said.

The name of the arrested person has not been disclosed by the police as they said it could lead to the identification of other group members, who are mostly minors.

Investigations so far have revealed that at least 27 members were part of the group, and they deactivated it soon after screenshots of their chat came to light, the police official said.

The 15-year-old juvenile, who was apprehended in connection with the case on Monday, was an active member and shared photographs of girls in the group. During questioning, he said he was added to the group by one of his friends, the official said.

Since Tuesday, at least 15 members of the group have been questioned so far.

The juveniles, who are part of the group, are being quizzed at their home in the presence of their parents and members of NGOs.

So far, the identified members were found to be using their own cell phone for the purpose and if any other device comes to notice during the course of the investigation, it will be seized for verification, police said. The devices used to engage in the "offensive and vulgar communication" have been seized from the group members, police said, adding that students from at least four-five schools were found to be involved.

"The CyPAD unit has sought information about the alleged group and it's members from Instagram. Their reply is awaited. The devices of the identified members of the group have been seized and sent for forensic analysis," said Anil Mittal, Additional PRO of Delhi Police.

The role of other group members is also being ascertained, he said. 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.

The apprehended juvenile has not been presented before the Juvenile Justice Board so far as the courts are closed due to lockdown imposed to control the spread of COVID-19.

Notices have been issued to all the identified members of the group to join the probe, they said.

Police said they are still verifying if the sole motive of creating the alleged group was to share such obscene messages and morphed photographs of underage girls or it was created just like a normal group but later sharing of thee messages and pictures started.

Instagram had earlier said it takes the issue "very seriously" and does not allow such behaviour. It had said the objectionable content featuring minor girls was removed from the platform as soon as it was made aware of it.

The Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) had issued a notice to Instagram and Delhi Police, taking cognizance of the matter.

Some of those involved are from reputed schools in the national capital, police said. Information about the group came to light after a girl shared screenshots of its activities, following which it 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 the investigation, they added. PTI

Meanwhile, Bollywood expressed shock and concern over the mindset of certain teenage boys in Delhi after the Boys Locker Room controversy exploded.

Leaked screenshots of a private Instagram chat group comprising some teenage school students from the Capital has stirred up a storm over rape culture in India.

Many of these boys were allegedly seen sharing photos of underage girls, objectifying them, and planning "gang rapes".

"This a multi-faceted problem. Because everyone is still squeamish about sex education in our populous/moralistic country, teenagers are confusing porn for sex education! And now data is free. How dangerous! This will explode in our faces in the next five years sadly, I reckon," tweeted Richa Chadha.

Swara Bhasker expressed: "#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!"

Chandan Roy Sanyal shared: "15 year old School Boys from distinguished delhi schools talk about raping the girls in their own class. Shocked to the core !!" Meanwhile, the Cyber Cell of Delhi Police have detained a 15-year-old student of a prominent school in South Delhi in connection with the Instagram chat group where rapes were glorified and photos of underage girls were being shared and objectified.

Instagram row: Parents must teach kids proper social media use

Instagram chat group Bois Locker Room wherein rapes were glorified and underage girls were objectified shook the national consciousness and now, leading behavioural experts have urged the society to strongly consider the application of gender sensitization and social media literacy for the school-going children.

The incident came to light after a girl from South Delhi shared a screenshot of the group chat on social media.

Meanwhile, another alleged version of a girls' locker room started trending on Twitter. Many screenshots shared on the platform alleged that just like the boys' version, there is a similar chat group that sexualises and objectifies boys and talks trash about their bodies.

According to Dr Samir Parikh, Director, Mental Health & Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare, there is immense exposure that young minds have to the media.

"While it may be difficult for parents to continually monitor what media their children come across directly or indirectly, it is possible to have the right conversations with them to help them build a good understanding of how the media can influence their perceptions, understanding and their behaviours," Parikh told IANS.

Annoyed at such growing incidents on social media, the British government last year announced an "online harms" white paper that aimed to make online platforms liable to protect their users, especially children.

"The impact of harmful content and activity can be particularly damaging for children, and there are growing concerns about the potential impact on their mental health and well-being," said the joint proposal from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Home Office.

The interim codes of practice, and more detailed proposals on the online harms regulation, are expected to be published in the spring.

According to experts, it is a must that parents discuss sex, sexuality, gender-related issues and take steps within their own homes to ensure there is a sensitive approach towards these.

"At the same time, these need to become serious aspects which are more robustly taken up within schools and not just through training programs by trainers, teachers and counsellors but also through the utilization of peer influencers within the schools," explained Parikh.

Technology is not all bad and similarly, social media also serves a useful purpose of connectivity.

"However, excessive usage of technology/virtual social platforms at the cost of one's sleep-wake cycle and one's overall health is not desirable," said Dr Sameer Malhotra, Director and Head, Department of Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences, Max Healthcare.

Lack of discipline, disobedience and excessive screen time go hand in hand.

It is important to maintain certain rules at home for all, including limited screen time, division of labour, encouraging age-appropriate self-help skills, avoiding screen usage around mealtime and bedtime and engaging in healthy conversations with family.

"Consistent and patient handling by parents, who themselves serve as role models, shall be helpful," said Malhotra.

With Agencies

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