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The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday took suo motu cognisance and demanded stringent legal action to identify and prosecute those responsible for the “despicable” acid attack, rape, and death threats received by influencer Apoorva Mukhija. This follows her controversial comments on an episode of comedian Samay Raina's YouTube show, 'India's Got Latent'.
"Issuing threats of sexual violence or death sets a dangerous precedent and must be dealt with sternly," the NCW said, urging law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute the offenders behind the threats.
Popularly known as 'The Rebel Kid' on Instagram, Apoorva only recently returned from a social media hiatus following the immense backlash she received, posting numerous screenshots of the acid attack, rape and death threats she received, mentioning in the caption that these were “not even 1%”, indicating the terrifying scale of the backlash she received.
On April 9, she elaborated on it in her first YouTube video after her return to social media.
Speaking candidly, she broke down as she revealed the emotional trauma she faced, and the impact of the acid attack, rape and death threats that were levelled against her. She also offered a painfully-detailed explanation of the entire issue: the filming of the episode, the immediate reactions, the large-scale backlash, the legal disputes, and how the issue affected her family, friends, and wider circles.
The NCW has written to the Maharashtra Director General of Police Sanjay Kumar Verma, urging for an immediate and thorough investigation into the matter. It also directed that necessary support and security be extended to Apoorva.
While the Commission stood by the legal action it earlier took against every panel member of the controversial episode on grounds of obscenity, it also clarified that under no circumstances could such abuse be justified or ignored.
"The responsibility to create a safe and respectful digital environment lies not just with law enforcement, but also with social media platforms and society at large," it said.
