New Delhi | The Delhi Police on Sunday registered an FIR over the alleged online sale of obscene pictures featuring Hindu goddesses, an official said.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) issued a notice to the Delhi Police after it received a complaint regarding the objectionable pictures.

In an e-mail, the DCW complained to the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) of the Delhi Police regarding the abuse and disrespect of Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

"A case under section 295A (malicious act) of the Indian Penal Code and 67A (publishing material containing sexually explicit act) of the Information Technology Act has been registered and efforts are being made to identify, trace and arrest the culprits," said an officer.

"The complainant has alleged that some persons are selling online pornographic pictures of Hindu goddesses and that he has been receiving some e-mails regarding the same. The alleged e-mail also contains some sample pictures of goddesses depicted in an obscene manner," the DCW statement said.

DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal issued a notice to Delhi Police and sought a report on the action taken in the matter.

The commission has sought a copy of the FIR along with details of the accused arrested in the matter and details of steps taken by Delhi Police to remove the content from the internet.

"The act is extremely disrespectful and has the potential of hurting religious sentiments and causing enmity among groups. This is a very serious matter. An FIR must be registered immediately and the accused should be arrested. The objectionable content must be removed from the internet immediately," Maliwal said.