#BoisLockerRoom: Gang-rape chat unrelated to group, was made by girl
What's the story
A gang-rape comment which sparked a huge row last week after the infamous 'Bois Locker Room' was exposed, was never made on that chatroom, a police investigation revealed. The remark was passed by a minor girl posing as a boy. Screenshot of her conversation with the boy went viral around the same time the private Instagram group was outed, creating confusion, police said.
Backstory
A private Instagram group run by teen boys shocked India
Last week, screenshots of the private Instagram group — Bois Locker Room — surfaced on social media, starting conversations about deeply-imbibed rape culture. Boys as young as 16 and 17, who studied at elite Delhi schools, circulated pictures of girls, their age or less, and objectified them. A police investigation was launched after an uproar and the group's admin, a Class 12 student, was held.
Investigation
Posing as boy, girl started rape talk
Along with the nasty messages of the 'Bois Locker Room', another screenshot in which two boys purportedly planned rape was also circulated. In what qualifies as a new twist to the story, police said the person who suggested rape was, in fact, a girl who wanted to "test the character" of her male friend. She used the pseudo name Siddharth on Snapchat.
Chat
Girl suggested sexual assault on herself to test boy's character
Anyesh Roy, deputy commissioner of police (cybercrime), said, "She wanted to check the boy's reaction when someone suggested something like that to him, and particularly when someone spoke about her." She suggested a plan to "sexually assault herself", Roy explained. Roy said the boy stopped responding to the one-on-one conversation but shared screenshots with the girl (who used a fake identity) and his friends.
Quote
A recipient of screenshot put it as Instagram story: Roy
"The boy took a screenshot of the chat and reported it to his friends. The girl did not report it to anyone, but another person he sent the screenshot to posted it on their Instagram story, from where it got circulated to others," Roy said.
Aftermath
Cops won't file case against the minor girl
Reiterating that the Snapchat conversation and the Instagram group are not linked, Roy said police won't be filing an FIR against the girl since her "intent was not malicious". "When the 'Bois Locker Room' Instagram screenshots were revealed to others and started circulating on social media, the alleged Snapchat conversation also got mixed with it due to its sensational nature," he added.
Arrest
Admin of Instagram group was arrested last week
Meanwhile, probe into the 'Bois Locker Room' group is underway with Instagram sharing partial information about three groups. The group's admin, who is above 18 and studies at a Noida school, was arrested. 24 others were examined. "Devices that were seized during the investigation have been sent for forensic analyses," Roy said. ThePrint said police haven't found messages suggesting sexual assault on the group.
Whistleblower
Whistleblower of 'Bois Locker Room' said he couldn't remain silent
21-year-old Haris Khan, who disclosed 'Bois Locker Room' chats with girls, said such groups are more common than one would think. "I couldn't stay silent when I found out about this one. It had to be made an example," the whistleblower told NDTV. Khan, who was also added to such groups in school, said this trend continues unabated as boys aren't taught to respect women.