TikTok "celebrity" justifies acid attack, problematic video gets NCW's attention
With 13.4 million subscribers, one would expect TikTok celebrities to be mindful of the content they are creating, but Faisal Siddiqui, deemed as a star on the platform showed that's perhaps too much to ask. In a video, Faisal glorified and justified acid attacks, forcing the National Commission for Women (NCW) to take cognizance of the matter. A cyber complaint was filed against him.
To "punish" the girl, Faisal threw acid on her
In the video, an enraged Faisal was seen talking to a girl, who purportedly left him for someone else. He was heard saying, "Usne tumhe chodh diya? Jiske liye tumne mujhe chodha tha," and then he was shown throwing some liquid at the girl, to give an impression of acid attack. Subsequently, the video showed the girl, donning heavy make up, implying burn marks.
Trigger warning: Here is the video in question
Faisal's brother was part of YouTube and TikTok's battle
Faisal has quite an outreach on TikTok. A member of "Team Nawab", Faisal is also the brother of Amir Siddiqui, who was recently embroiled in a nasty YouTube v/s TikTok battle. Amir had shamed YouTube creators following which CarryMinati uploaded a roast video, belittling the content on TikTok. The video was later taken down by YouTube citing harassment policy, which was updated in 2019.
NCW took up the matter with Delhi Police and TikTok
One of the first ones to flag the video was BJP's Tajinder Singh Bagga asking NCW Chief Rekha Sharma to take it up. In response, Sharma said she has spoken with Delhi Police and the social media platform as well. She said she also contacted DGP Maharashtra asking to take action against Faisal and urged TikTok to ban him. The video has been deleted.
A cyber complaint was filed against him too
Acid attacks have become India's grim reality
What may have missed Faisal's attention is that acid attacks are on the rise across India, and a menace the authorities are finding almost impossible to curtail. Between 2014 and 2019, there were 1,483 victims of such gruesome attacks, data compiled by India Today suggested. Three states — Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Delhi accounted for 42% of such attacks.
Account has been suspended, it violates our policy: TikTok
A TikTok spokesperson told NewsBytes that making the platform safe is a priority. "As per the policy, we do not allow content that risks the safety of others, promotes physical harm, or glorifies violence against women. The behavior in question violates our guidelines and we have taken down content, suspended the account, and are working with law enforcement agencies as appropriate," the spokesperson said.
