SDF attends Mahila Jan Sunwai program, raises concern over inaction in cyber harassment case

GANGTOK,: A delegation of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) women’s wing attended the Mahila Jan Sunwai organised by the State Women Commission and the National Commission for Women at the District Administrative Centre, Namchi on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the SDF delegation raised serious concerns regarding the pending case of cyber-bullying, sexual harassment, and rape threats directed at a female spokesperson of the SDF party. The delegation also highlighted that another female victim had faced similar online harassment from the same Facebook account, informs a SDF press release.

The delegation informed the committee that the SDF woman spokesperson had been targeted through two Facebook accounts – ‘Chinyo Malai’ and ‘Mutu ko Betha’.

SDF women’s wing in-charge Komal Chamling pointed out that despite a memorandum submitted to the Sikkim State Women’s Commission and the Director General of Police on 27th October 2025, followed by a memorandum to the National Commission for Women on 6^th November 2025, the matter remains unresolved even five months after the issue was brought to the attention of the authorities.

Following the complaint, the National Commission for Women issued a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police, Gangtok, on 14th November 2025, directing that an Action Taken Report (ATR) be submitted within 30 days. However, the ATR submitted by the Station House Officer of Sadar Police Station on 17th December 2025 stated that an inquiry could not be conducted due to the absence of profile URLs, user IDs, screenshots, and links, it was submitted at the programme.

It was further highlighted that all relevant information, including profile URLs, IDs, screenshots, and links, had already been submitted to the Police department, the State Women Commission, and the National Commission for Women.

The SDF delegation expressed dissatisfaction with the Action Taken Report, stating that the explanation provided was inadequate given that the required details had already been furnished to the authorities.

Komal Chamling also raised concerns regarding the impartiality of the State Women Commission, noting that a member of the commission had attended a press conference of the ruling SKM party on 29th October 2025, undermining the concerns raised by the SDF party regarding cyberbullying, raising serious concerns about the neutrality of a statutory body, the SDF release mentions.

Additionally, SDF functionary Yojna Khaling observed that the Mahila Jan Sunwai resembled a bureaucratic meeting rather than a public hearing, and suggested that such hearings be decentralised and conducted at the grassroots level to ensure wider public participation and access for women from remote parts of the State.

Khaling further appealed to the State Women’s Commission for the swift delivery of justice in this case, warning that failure to curb cyber-bullying and open rape threats against women in Sikkim could set a dangerous precedent, the SDF release mentions.

The delegation also submitted a memorandum on the aforementioned cyberbullying case as well as a memorandum on the rising trend in POCSO cases in Sikkim, said the SDF in its press statement.