Woman accuses male poet of sexual abuse; he refutes her claims by posting WhatsApp screenshots

For those who do not know, graphics can be used to create screenshots.

Can you judge the 'truth' about a situation from a Facebook status? Is a status enough to condemn someone and make him/ her accused? Are Whatsapp screenshots 'proof' of one's innocence or villainy?

For those who do not know, graphics can be used to create screenshots.

And for those who do not know, in recent times a viral post put up by a poet, alleging non-consensual sexual assault has been doing the rounds. A response too has been posted. Both have been widely shared. People are battling it out on social media, trying to take sides, malign one or the other, assuming social media is a platform that can be trusted in the first place?When Slam Poet Shamir Reuben was accused of sexually abusing minors, the so-called 'liberal' intellectuals went into shock.

Screenshots posted by the accused. Photo courtesy Facebook

We as people have a tendency to take extreme positions, which the entire conversation around consent will show, is not possible. Not in our country, not while women are abused all the time, not when male harassment is not even accepted as legitimate.We have a tendency to hail people as certified criminals, or gold-diggers. There is no in between. And most of all, we as people wholly unaware of what actually happened, are always willing to give opinions.

A girl accused a fellow poet of sexual assault. She accused him of dry humping her earlier. They met after that as well, at her house. She claims he invited himself over and she didn't know how to say no. He says she invited him, she said yes, he confirmed with her, and she said yes. They slept together.

She wrote she felt violated, that the sequence of events that took place in her house two years back were not according to her consent. She did not attach proof. She does noty need to. Social media is not court of law. But it is also not okay to malign one's reputation.The 'accused' in the matter responded, with screenshots of WhatsApp conversations between the two. For most, that was 'proof' that he has been falsely accused. The same people who had begun maligning his reputation after reading the girl's post immediately began calling her a 'slut.'This is precisely the problem with 'social media courtroom behaviour.'

The post of the male poet. Photo Courtesy Facebook

One person who commented on the boy's status did point this out. We do not know what happened that night. They were high, drunk and had sex. How many times? No idea.

Was the first time consensual and the next time not? No idea.

Was there a grudge on her part? No idea.

Was the woman trying to deny what happened and that's why spoke out so late, after finally gathering her courage? No idea.

Did the smiley just an attempt to cover up for her suspicion that she was raped while she was passed out? No idea.

Did nothing actually happen and it's the 'high' mind playing tricks on memory? No idea.

Who is the victim?No idea.

That is why social media courtroom behaviour often blows out of proportion.What happened between the two can be contested only by them, and no one else. The girl later removed her original post and put this up?

Does this mean that she got cold feet at how she does not have proof and is actually a liar? Or all the hate messages she received finally manage to give her a mental breakdown that she decided it is better to withdraw than to fight? No idea.

And that is precisely why social media is a two way tool. While it gives platform to people to finally speak up about horrible, life-altering experiences, it is also the easiest gun one can use on someone's reputation.Also the anonymity and yet the fame.The two did not have a conversation. But thousands of people poured their opinions, claiming their 'right to express.'

As a movement, #MeToo made it easier for women to open up and that too on social media. But with it does come the baggage of credibility. And that's a dangerous kind of weapon, which is clear in this particular case. She may have felt violated without him intending to, or maybe he did violate her actually. Unless it is placed in a legal space, it remains a claim.

The girl's post whjerre she expalisn her position,. Her oriiginal post where she has accusd him no longer exists. Photo courtesy Facebook

Yes, with the record of court cases never reaching their desired conclusion on time, we often are forced to take matters into our own hands. But that's the point. It is subject to public scrutiny and the consequence can go either way.The posts are two versions of the dame night.

Do we really have the tools or right to say on is true while the other is false?