[Assam] Cyber crimes grip city life (The Assam Tribune,13.12.2007

[Buljit Buragohain]

Cyber crimes grip city life
By Sanjoy Ray
 GUWAHATI, Dec 12 – Soma Ali and Geetika Barman (names changed), two higher secondary students of premier college of the city, are passing sleepless nights these days.

For, the duo, both regular surfers at the popular website ‘Orkut’, is getting numerous phone calls and emails by unknown persons using abusive and derogatory language.

Little did they realise that this was the outcome of their bid to revive their relations with old friends through ‘Orkut.’ 

Stunningly, these two girls were projected as ‘sex workers’ by some anti-social elements in a couple of community sites including ‘Orkut’, making mockery of the stringent cyber laws.

In fact, this is not a one-off incident in the State where women from Assam are being projected in poor light. Already facing the wrath of an increasing number of crimes against them, the fairer sex population in Assam is now being pitted against this form of harassment in considerable numbers, thanks to the rising application of the technological boons, which are making fast inroads into the society.

The Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (Kamrup) recently entertained a case, where an Assamese housewife complained of a similar telephonic harassment, after her picture along with other details of her and few other ladies were pasted in an ‘Orkut’ profile.

“She is now receiving calls from across the world. She initially reported the incident to the local police station but to no effect, as the police too, by and large, is ignorant of such forms of crime,” informed a senior official of Criminal Investigation Department while talking to The Assam Tribune.

“Women, especially school and college-going girls from Assam, in large numbers have been projected as sex workers in various community websites such as ‘Orkut’ by anti-social elements, which has now created ripples amongst the law enforcing agencies in the State,” conceded the official.

In the capital city itself, girl students of premier college and schools in Guwahati, according to sources, have reportedly found their pictures introduced as ‘sex workers’ along with their phone numbers and other details pasted in the popular community site ‘Orkut’ 

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), in the last few months, has come across a host of such cases and is now initiating efforts to put a curb on them.

“These anti-social elements, of course, without the knowledge of the victims are resorting to such offences in increasing numbers and this crime seemed to be catching up among youths, who might be doing it for fun,” the senior CID official said. 

“No doubt, community sites like ‘Orkut’ have kept a provision for deleting such account which deals in such abusive affairs but for that the victim is required to report to the Orkut website, but very few account holders are aware of this provision,” the official divulged.

   
   (The Assam Tribune,13.12.2007



       
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