A woman entrepreneur and owner of a movie theatre at Thrissur in Kerala has alleged persistent cyber bullying against her. Dr Girija, who owns Girija Theatre, said that the attacks started in 2015 when she arranged facilities for reserving seats at her theatre through social media and directly, avoiding booking websites.
“I filed several complaints over the cyber harassment all these years, but the authorities have taken no action,” said Girija.
The attacks started by hacking Girija’s Facebook account. “So, I engaged another social media team to manage my account, but that too had to be closed. In fact, 12 of my accounts have been shut down so far,” explained Girija.
Moreover, the unknown cyber attackers circulated fake news about Girija over social media. “I approached the Cyber Cell of the Kerala Police, but they could do nothing,” said Girija.
“I sell the tickets at my theatre through Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Recently, during the promotions of ‘Madhura Manohara Moham’ also I received threats along with several indecent messages,” she added.
“Now I am unable to inform people over the social media about the film currently running in my theatre. All my social media accounts have been forced to shut down,” she said.
According to Girija, even the police could not identify her attackers.
Following these developments, producers are reluctant to screen their films in her theatre, said Girija. “The exceptions are Prithviraj and Listin Stephen. They are the only producers to support me and offer kind words, giving me confidence,” she said.
“Why are they doing this to me? I have harmed nobody, but they have made life hell for me,” said the entrepreneur.
