Cyber bullying victim sets example for others to follow

Priyanka Dasgupta | TNN | Nov 7, 2016, KOLKATA: Actor Madhumita Chakraborty, whose morphed pictures had flooded websites in Bangladesh in August, is happy to have raised a voice against cyber bullying because she feels it would encourage countless others to come forward.

Chakraborty, who has shot to fame as Pakhi in TV serial 'Bojhena Se Bojhena', was warned by her friends not to approach cops and complain about cyber bullying. Her husband, actor Sourav, was also told by his friends not to accompany his wife to Lalbazar and lodge an FIR on August 19. But the couple is happy that they raised a voice. Not only has the Bangladesh-based portal tendered an apology, all sites that were sharing Madhumita's vulgar photographs have retracted.

In August, the couple reacted when they found Madhumita's name and picture were being deliberately used in a misleading article on a portal, stating she was caught in a sex racket. "We were told that such things will never stop even if we go to the police. In fact, some even accused us of seeking publicity by making a hue and cry over the issue. But we were sure about registering a protest. Lalbazar was extremely proactive," Madhumita said.

Were the culprits arrested? "No, that didn't happen. Since it's a Bangladeshi portal, we have to approach the ministry for that," Sourav said. The couple is happy that Kolkata-based techie Panchali Kar has raised voice against the obscene memes of Paoli and SRK that have been in circulation. But she was subjected to another round of cyber bullying.

Panchali is still waiting to lodge an FIR. "I wanted to lodge an FIR on November 3 evening. It wasn't accepted and I had to lodge a GD with the Dum Dum police. The case was handed over to cyber crime department of Barrackpore," Panchali said. On Sunday, she again contacted the cyber crime department. "I will be informed on Wednesday whether an FIR will be registered," she said.