After the video of three Muslim girls from Malappuram doing a flash mob unleashed a flurry of abuse on social media, the Kerala Women's Commission has registered a suo-moto case in the incident.
It directed the police Cyber Cell to swiftly take action and submit a report. "It is an insult to Kerala’s culture to engage in propaganda that insults the dignity of women,” the Commission said in a statement, and warned that stern action would be taken against those who engaged in such activities.
The video the girls doing a flash mob on the street, dancing to the tune of a recent Malayalam hit song Jimmiki Kammal, had gone viral on social media.
But the girls, who covered their heads with veils, had become the subject of abuse for many, who took to social media to vent.
One of the posts even said that people were ‘lucky’ that there was no tsunami in Malappuram because of the flash mob.
The post got thousands of shares and comments before it was deleted. Many comments condemned the girls and their families, while others lamented that such people were a ‘curse to the religion.’
There were also people who said that Muslim girls "openly" dancing on the road could even mean that the end of the world was not too far away! Or, it could be a sign that they were moving away from their religion.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, during the cabinet meeting, the government decided to give more powers to the Women’s Commission.
The cabinet has given its approval for a draft bill to give more powers to the Commission, where it can call upon any person to take a statement while hearing complaints, as opposed to the present, where it only has the right to summon witnesses.