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Women in Kerala's colleges are grappling with a new form of digital harassment, as generative AI is increasingly used to create and circulate non-consensual morphed images of students and faculty. These cases of digital morphing reported from across the state have led to arrests but are being invoked by orthodox voices to argue for greater restrictions on women’s public participation.
The most recent incident relates to the arrest of Ajmal T Muhammad, a fourth-year engineering student at Mangalam College of Engineering, Ettumanoor, Kottayam. He was arrested following complaints that he photographed female classmates during campus events and used AI software to alter the images into explicit content.
Recently, Kochi police arrested Srihari S, a second-year student at Bharata Mata College, Thrikkakara, and later detained a co-accused, Saneesh, from Alappuzha in a similar complaint. Investigators said Srihari used his position on the college's student media team to collect photographs of female classmates and faculty members, which were then altered using AI tools and circulated in private Telegram groups.
In July, at Trivandrum Medical College, an MBBS student Abel Augustine was arrested after fellow students discovered altered images being circulated on Reddit and Telegram. According to reports, similar allegations have come up from around 12 other colleges in the state after Onam celebrations.
The presence of Muslim women at public functions, including Milad and Onam celebrations, has recently sparked a debate in Kerala. What began with a circular issued by the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, directing mosques to prevent women from sharing public spaces with unrelated men, has now opened up a wider debate on gender and women’s participation in public life in the state.
Ansari Zuhri, a social media influencer known for content related to Kerala’s Muslim community, was among the first to draw a connection between women’s dance performances and the crime. Many comments under these news reports were accusing women, rather than those involved in the crime.
“Have the images of the men who danced with you been morphed? Even if those were morphed, it doesn't have value. Only your pictures have value. And where are those who encouraged you? Inside four walls of a dark room, they are becoming its consumers. Everybody knew where this was going to end up,” he said in a video, apparently addressing Muslim women. “If women and men are equal, why was the men’s image not morphed?,” he asked. The post has got over 5000 comments, most of which agreeing with the remark.
Recalling a recent campaign against Ansari, where a morphed image was used to ridicule him, social media influencer ‘The Mallu Analyst’ wondered whether women do not have the same freedom as ‘ustad’. “Sometime ago, a photo of this ustad was circulated after being morphed with the image of a monkey. He is someone who promotes ideas that tend to pull society backwards and has made misogynistic remarks. Yet, even those who oppose him said that those behind such campaigns should be punished. He did not abandon social media because of the campaign, nor should he have. He has the right to show his face and express his opinion, even if it is a foolish one,” ‘The Mallu Analyst said.
He pointed out that cases of child abuse in madrasas are regularly reported in the media. “Going by his logic, should children stop going to madrasas?” he asked.
The Mallu Analyst also questioned Ansari for not calling out those accused in the cases. “It is because of these men, people like ustad can threaten women to stay inside their homes,” he said. In a follow up post, he also asked Ansari to learn about the concept of ‘benevolent sexism’, which according to a Cambridge University study is a ‘subjectively positive but ultimately disempowering beliefs about women’.
Abdul Khadar, another influencer, said the accused who committed the offence has not spared even his relatives. “These guys who did the morphing are not looking alone for hijab wearing or dancing women, they just need a photo. Family photo, group photo or single photo will do. Or those who come online asking women not to go out, even those videos are fine,” he said.
