Kerala: Girija theatre owner complains about severe cyber attacks, blocking of social media accounts

Thrissur's Girija Theatre owner, Dr Girija revealed the cyber attacks that she has been facing for a long time now. She said that the cyber attacks worsened when she provided the facility to book tickets directly through social media pages and not through online booking sites.

Thrissur: The owner of the Girija Theatre in Thrissur, Dr. Girija, admitted that she has been subjected to persistently harmful cyberattacks. Girija, who is also an excellent businesswoman, adds that these cyber attackers are preventing her from living and that she has been complaining about the harassment she has experienced for five years but no action has been taken. The cyber attack against Girija comes after providing the facility to book tickets directly through social media and not through online booking sites.

“My theatre is not available on BookMyShow. Hence, I depend on Facebook and Instagram and handle the pages myself. However, since 2018, my Facebook account has been blocked more than 12 times," Girija said. 

She alleged that despite filing a complaint with the name of the person, the police have been reluctant to file a case. Girija's social media accounts including Facebook and Instagram were blocked 12 times after mass reporting. She assigned a team to handle her social media accounts to another team, however, when they also faced a similar obstacle, Girija again started to manage the social media pages on her own. 

Girija alleged that several producers are not willing to release their movies in her theatre as it is not listed on BookMyShow. However, actor Prithviraj Sukumaran and producer Listin Stephen offered their films for screening.

Stand-off between CITU and bus operator ends

On Monday, after a week-long standoff, a bus operator in Thiruvarppu and activists from the CPI(M)-backed Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) agreed to settle their differences amicably at a meeting called by the District Labour Officer. It has been determined, following deliberations that lasted for over two days, that all of the buses operated by the transport company's staff members will work alternate shifts. As a result, the company will be able to divide its employees equally among the buses that are operating at a profit or a loss. The negotiations were initiated by the District Labour Officer on a direction by the Labour Minister V. Sivankutty.

Following a dispute over the daily wages of its employees, the CITU had placed protest flags and banners in front of one of the four buses operated in the Thiruvarppu-Kottayam sector by an ex-serviceman Raj Mohan. He started to sell the lottery in front of the parked bus as a mark of protest. In a dig at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's recent Times Square address, he gave it the name "Times Square Lucky Centre." The bus owner went to the Kerala High Court and won a ruling in his favour after attempts by the authorities to settle the dispute failed. He was apparently unable to begin operation despite this since the trade union continued to demonstrate.