Clubhouse: Mumbai Police Arrests 3 Over Obscene Remarks Against Muslim Women

The accused have been identified as Akash, Jaishnav, and Yash Parashar. All three of them are from Haryana.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Mumbai Police has arrested three men in connection with a Clubhouse chat case – in which a group of men was heard making misogynistic comments against Muslim women on the platform. The arrests were made late on Thursday, 20 January.

Speaking to The Quint on Friday, an official who is a part of the investigation team, said that all the three accused were from Haryana.

A case has been registered under section 67 IT Act along with sections 153A, 295A, 354A, 354D, 590, and 500, on the basis of a woman's complaint.

The accused have been identified as Akash Suyal from Karnal, Jaishnav Kakkad and Yash Parashar from Faridabad, and are between 19 and 22 years of age.

"All three had different IDs. Akash had created an ID named 'KIRA XD'. Jaishnav used to operate with the handle @jaishnav and Yash Parashar as pardhan@haryana_aala. According to the investigation, these people were auctioning the body parts of women by creating many virtual rooms in the Clubhouse app," an official told The Quint.

On 16 and 19 January 2022, controversial videos from these accounts went viral – with 'KIRA XD' i.e. Akash being the moderator.

Delhi Police Files FIR, Issues Notice to Clubhouse

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) on Tuesday against unknown persons after taking cognisance of a video of a Clubhouse conversation with vulgar and derogatory remarks against Muslim women, which was posted on Twitter.

The FIR has been filed under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153A (promoting disharmony), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), and 354A (sexual harassment), DCP (IFSO) KPS Malhotra told The Quint, adding that no complaint had been submitted to the Delhi Police regarding the matter.

A notice has been sent to Clubhouse to share the details of the chatroom, and of members who were part of it. The police are awaiting a response from Clubhouse, Malhotra told The Quint.