Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; May 20, 2020)

A day after TikTok star Faizal Siddiqui drew sharp criticism and social media ire for posting a video that allegedly glorified acid attacks, the video-sharing social networking service has suspended his account. The video, too, was pulled down after it caught attention for all the wrong reasons.

A TikTok spokesperson said, “Keeping people on TikTok safe is a top priority and what is not acceptable on our platform has been made clear in our Term of Service and Community Guidelines. 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.”

On Monday, the National Commission for Women (NCW), too, had taken cognisance of the matter. They had asked the social networking platform to block the user after the video was deleted.

To those uninitiated, Faizal, who has many followers on social media, posted a video, where he can be seen saying, “Usne tumhe chhod diya? Jiske liye tumne mujhe chhoda tha...” and throws a liquid — purportedly acid — on a girl, who is wearing heavy make-up that looks like burn marks.

He later issued a statement, saying, “My intention was never to hurt anyone in any capacity. As a social media influencer, I realise my responsibility and apologise to anyone who was offended by the video.”