NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MAY 21
TikTok has suspended influencer Faizal Siddiqui’s account after he posted a video that ‘glorified’ acid attack on women, a company release said on Wednesday.
TikTok had earlier taken down the video after National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma filed a complaint and demanded strict action against him.
Siddiqui had posted a video in which he was seen throwing water on a girl’s face after she left him for another man. The next scene in the clip showed the girl’s face, covered with heavy makeup, interpreted as bruises and damage caused by ‘acid’.
Speaking about the matter, a spokesperson for TikTok said, “Keeping people on TikTok safe is a top priority and we make it clear in our Term of Service and Community Guidelines that clearly outlines what is not acceptable on our platform. As per the policy, we do not allow content that risks the safety of others, promotes physical harm, or glorifies violence against women. The behaviour in question violates our guidelines and we have taken down content, suspended the account, and are working with law enforcement agencies as appropriate.”
Faizal Siddiqui, who had over 13.4 million followers on his TikTok account, had earlier posted an apology and said that the video was taken out of context.
Meanwhile, acid attack survivor Laxmi Aggarwal criticised the viral clip on Instagram.
“Thanks to the National Commission for Women for taking cognizance of the viral video by TikTok ‘influencer’ Faizal Siddiqui promoting acid attack. Such videos/actions should be strictly debarred which are against the society,” she wrote in her post.
