How TRAI and Airtel Fail to Stop Rogue Telemarketers
As I am constantly being attacked everyday by the unsolicited calls and messages on my mobile phone made by some unscrupulous telemarketers, I sent the following representation to TRAI, Secretary (Telecom), Airtel CEO, and Delhi Police. But the perpetrators of telecrime have not yet been caught and punished.
By Rakesh Raman
To August 28, 2024
The Chairman
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
New Delhi
Secretary (Telecom)
Department of Telecommunications
Ministry of Communication, Government of India
New Delhi
Mr. Gopal Vittal
CEO, Airtel
New Delhi
Delhi Police Cyber Crime Cell
Subject: Complaint against unsolicited commercial communications / phone calls with the appeal to take punitive action against the rogue telemarketers and get me compensated by them for the constant mental disturbance inflicted upon me which is causing major health complications and professional loss to me.
Complaint by: Rakesh Raman, who is a journalist and human rights defender
Dear Authorities,
I am a government’s national award winning journalist and founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation in New Delhi. I run various environment protection, human rights protection, education awareness, and anti-corruption campaigns, and publish digital magazines and research reports on different subjects.
I have also worked with the United Nations (UN) through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses use technology for brand marketing and business development.
Please refer to the subject stated above of this complaint. I am constantly being attacked everyday by the unsolicited calls and messages on my mobile phone (9810319059) made by some unscrupulous telemarketers. They want to sell me everything from a herbal remedy to reduce my weight, to oil that can help me grow my hair, to pesticides that can quickly kill insects in my home, to luxurious flats at cheap rates, to bank loans on easy terms, and whatnot.
I do not need any of the items for which these unruly telemarketers infiltrate my mobile phone and blatantly breach my privacy. As a journalist, I have been independently running multiple news sites for the past 12 years and carry out major activities as a social activist to help the vulnerable sections of the society. In order to complete my work, I have to spend on average 15 hours everyday without any break while I work alone.
However, I am not able to focus on my work because I keep getting unsolicited calls and messages on my mobile phone throughout the day. The callous callers do not spare me even when I am sick. My professional requirements do not allow me to switch off my mobile phone or keep marking dozens of daily unwanted calls as spam. I also cannot afford to keep reporting about these cruel calls to TRAI, my telecom service provider Airtel, or other authorities as it will consume a lot of my time and resources.
Moreover, the DND (Do Not Disturb) option that I tried is totally ineffective as the callers keep changing the phone numbers frequently. The calls that I get are not only direct voice calls but there is also a surfeit of prerecorded calls or robocalls which keep my mobile phone busy from dawn to dusk. I have given below a sample list of unsolicited calls that I received during the past few days, while I get a slew of such calls everyday.
SAMPLE LIST OF UNSOLICITED CALLS THAT I RECEIVED
91-8042307736 [ Prerecorded 18.08.24 12:53 p.m. ]
91-7313755648 [ Prerecorded 18.08.24 15:91 p.m. ]
91-7971922579 [ Prerecorded 19.08.24 11:08 a.m. ]
91-8585914964 [ Prerecorded 21.08.24 10:34 a.m. ]
91-7315112405 [ Prerecorded 21.08.24 17:18 p.m. ]
91-1297137718 [ Prerecorded 21.08.24 17:51 p.m. ]
91-7971693446 [ Prerecorded 22.08.24 18:21 p.m. ]
91-9355573039 [ Prerecorded 23.08.24 12:14 p.m. ]
91-9667662775 [ Prerecorded 23.08.24 12:49 p.m. ]
91-9315715530 [ Voice Call 23.08.24 14:57 p.m. ]
91-9315715530 [ Repeat Voice Call 23.08.24 15:07 p.m. ]
91-9643341927 [ Voice Call 25.08.24 16:12 p.m. ]
91-1414573210 [ Prerecorded 26.08.24 12:20 p.m. ]
91-7313724707 [ Prerecorded 26.08.24 12:29 p.m. ]
91-7313724837 [ Prerecorded 26.08.24 18:18 p.m. ]
91-9354996905 [ Voice Call 27.08.24 11:24 a.m. ]
Also, the banks, telecom service providers, and other utility service providers virtually force you to install their mobile apps on your device. Then they keep sending you messages with louder beeps even when you do not need any of them. These callers have no right to call me and disturb my peace. While they are deliberately disturbing me, they are committing a serious crime which needs to be punished by the law-enforcement agencies in the country.
I have visited the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) webpage on “Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC)” to get some relief for the persisting agony that I have been facing. Alas, the TRAI’s UCC webpage is full of redundant, convoluted, and confusing wordiness which disappointed me completely.
On this webpage, the TRAI is preaching everything to the poor consumer like me instead of taking a legal action against the perpetrators of telecrime who deliberately disturb the mobile users. As an analogy, TRAI is asking people to protect their belongings themselves instead of punishing the thieves.
I gather from my painful experience that TRAI and my telecom service provider Airtel are not willing to tackle the unsolicited call menace which is spreading like a pandemic disease. Thus, it can be deduced that TRAI and Airtel are complicit in this crime as they want to promote their commercial interests unscrupulously.
As a result of this criminal telemarketing enterprise growing around me, I am experiencing a breach of my privacy, an adverse impact on my health, and a significant professional loss as I am not able to work properly for my editorial and social responsibilities.
REQUEST FOR ACTION
In view of the facts stated above, I urge TRAI, Airtel, police, and other authorities to take the following action.
- Identify all the rogue telemarketers – including those in the list that I have provided above – and start criminal proceedings against them for the violation of privacy laws and disturbing the peace and tranquility in the living environment of citizens.
- Prosecute rogue telemarketers for the violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India which gives every citizen the right to live in a peaceful environment. The violation of Article 21 amounts to the violation of citizens’ fundamental / human rights.
- Put the names of the rogue commercial callers and their employers on the TRAI website prominently so that customers should stop any business dealings with them.
- Create a robust backend technology infrastructure to immediately detect unsolicited calls to prohibit and exclude them from the telecom network transparently.
- TRAI should direct the rogue telecallers and Airtel to compensate me for the professional loss that I am suffering. The compensation amount can be decided by TRAI.
- Allow mobile users to forward the unsolicited calls instantly to the TRAI or telecom service providers with the help of a feature on mobile phones. Each rogue caller thus identified must pay a fine of, say, Rs. 10,000 for each call to the TRAI and a part of this money should be paid to the called person as compensation. The miscreants who repeat the offences must be imprisoned.
- Provide me with any other relief that I deserve as a harassed mobile phone user.
Note: Please send me your response by September 2, 2024. If I do not get a satisfactory response, I will make this complaint public on my news sites and digital magazines and take other steps to seek justice.
Thank You
Contact
Rakesh Raman
Editor, RMN News Service [ Website ]
Founder, RMN Foundation [ Website ]
463, DPS Apts., Plot No. 16, Sector 4
Dwarka, Phase I, New Delhi 110 078, India
WhatsApp / Mobile: 9810319059 | Contact by Email
