FIR Filed Against TikTok Star For Promoting Acid Attacks As Revenge Against Ex Lover

The chairman of National Commission for Women (NCW) Rekha Sharma on Monday, 18 May, tweeted that the body has taken cognisance of the viral video by TikTok ‘influencer’ Faizal Siddiqui promoting acid attack.

Mumbai-based Siddiqui reportedly has over 13.4 million followers on TikTok.

He posted a nine-second clip on the social media platform, in which he is seen saying: “Did the man you left me for abandon you?” following which he goes on to depict an acid attack.

The NCW has written to TikTok India seeking the removal of the video and the deletion of Siddiqui’s account for instigating violence against women.

Ban TikTok Trends On Twitter

Soon after the video went viral on Twitter, users called for a ban on TikTok and removal of Faizal Siddiqui. “Can’t imagine what it would be like to be a survivor of acid attack, one of the scariest thing possible, and seeing someone on TikTok making fun of it,” Twitter user Amit Mohan wrote.

Highest Number of Acid Attacks In India

In India, at least one case of acid attack occurs every day. However, the country with the most number of acid attacks has the least number of convictions – less than 5 percent – say activists who work closely with acid attack victims.

In a country where violence against women is common, and in most places even acceptable, acid attacks continue to be a problem. A video like this shared by someone who is a social media influencer and has a huge following base can undo years of work that activists and women’s rights organisations have done. A video like this normalises such incidents, since it was shared by someone who is a prominent personality on the platform. In the video, it can also be seen that it is an act of revenge against the woman for rejecting the man. Toxic masculinity is a very prevalent issue in our society, and videos like this give the impression that engaging in such activities is the normal reaction to being rejected. The video is wrong, and should be taken down immediately.

However, people were very quick to start name-calling an entire religion on the actions of one TikTok influencer, unnecessarily communalising an issue that has nothing to do with one’s religion. We urge our readers to refrain from demonising an entire religion for the actions of a few uninformed and problematic individuals, and let the authorities investigate and reach a conclusion.