Minister calls Udupi washroom video small incident blown out of proportion

A first information report has been registered against three girl students over allegedly recording a video of their fellow female student in a college washroom in Udupi, days after the incident, as the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded their arrest and home minister G Parameshwara blamed the saffron party for indulging in "petty politics" over a "small incident".

The FIR has been filed at Malpe police station in Udupi. Three students, Shabhnaz, Alfiya and Aleema, have been named in the FIR.

National Commission for Women member Khushbu Sundar termed the filming incident "extremely concerning" and said she is heading to Udupi to look into the issue.

However, Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara called the filming of the video a small incident blown out of proportion.

The college administration has also been named in the FIR, which has been filed under IPC Sections 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 204 (destruction of any document or electronic record), 175 (omitting to produce document or electronic record), and 34 (criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention) as well as 66(e) of the IT Act (knowingly captures, publishes or transmits the image of a private area of any person without his or her consent), sources said.

A police statement said two separate suo motu cases have been registered regarding the video recording in the washroom of the college.

A case of recording the private video of a female student and deleting it later is registered against three female students and the college administration.

The police have charged them with failure to produce the details and evidence relating to the incident that could spoil the reputation of the victim.

A morphed video of the incident was allegedly uploaded on a Kannada YouTube channel.

An individual had allegedly posted the same on his Twitter account as well.

A case for causing communal enmity and spoiling social harmony has also been registered in this regard, the statement said.

The three girl students were suspended from the college on the accusation of filming the video in the restroom of the college recently.

The issue has created a flutter in political circles, with the BJP announcing a state-wide protest on Thursday demanding the arrest of the three students involved in the filming of a girl, pointing out that the victim and the accused girls are from two different religious communities.

A day earlier, the police had urged the public not to believe rumours that girls of a particular community had targeted a girl from another community and shared a video of her online that they allegedly shot in the restroom.

Former NCW member Shyamala Sunder addressing reporters on Wednesday in Udupi said the filming of a girl student in the washroom by three other girls is a serious issue.

She said the video was allegedly circulated on social media after which the college administration confiscated the mobile phones of the students.

A right-wing activist, Rashmi Samant, who raised the issue on Twitter, was questioned by the police allegedly to ascertain the authenticity of the tweet.

Referring to this, Sunder said that if a fake tweet was posted from her account, she herself would have filed a complaint.

She said the police should conduct a proper inquiry into the behaviour of the girls involved.

In a tweet, current NCW member Khushbu Sundar, who also belongs to the BJP, said, "Heading to Udupi to look into the issue where girls were filmed in a washroom by their fellow girl college mates. It is extremely saddening to see children indulging in such activities. As a @NCWIndia member, I will be looking into the matter, speaking with the students, meeting the cops and visiting the college too. Nobody can play around with the dignity of women."

Home minister Parameshwara accused the BJP of indulging in "petty politics", indicating that they were trying to communalise the incident.

"That is a small incident. Reports say that it happened amongst the friends. Should it be blown out of proportion and given a political colour," he asked while speaking to reporters.

Hitting out at the BJP, he said they should stop blowing up these "small issues" simply for political reasons. They should keep in mind that there should be peace in the society.

"Weren't these things happening in the past? Weren't these things happening in the past in colleges and universities? No one did politics then, why are they doing it now? There are many other works but they (BJP) never speak on them. They did not speak about drought, floods. BJP is doing petty politics. They should have other works, now it appears that they don't have any other work," Parameshwara said.

Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai slammed the home minister for "taking it lightly".

"If that was a small case, then why an FIR was registered and what about the 'confessional letter' by the accused girls? Why were those girls suspended? He (Parameshwara) should answer these questions," Bommai told reporters in Bengaluru.

The BJP leader alleged that the college administration tried to hush up the case. If the student had not tweeted, no one would have known about it.

"How many cases will you (government) cover up? How many girls' modesty would have been at stake with these videos? Such forces should be punished severely. Police should function independently without succumbing to any pressure. The officers who are at fault in this case should be punished," Bommai said.

Making videos of girls in their restroom is a "heinous and condemnable act", he said.

However, police going to the residence of the girl who brought the incident to the fore, in a manner to investigate her antecedents, shows under what compulsion they are functioning, Bommai alleged.

He charged that the police were not functioning as per law and it was becoming clear that they were succumbing to the pressure of those in power.

The police should seize the phone and recover the videos. Will the college administration suspend the girls without any reason? Why did the girls give a 'confessional letter'? Police give statements as if nothing happened in the college. The 'confessional letter' itself is sufficient to register a case against them," Bommai said.

"The police is going to the residence of the girl and giving a statement that she has not given any complaint. If that becomes a parameter, 'certain forces' will be emboldened to resort to all kinds of illegalities and violence believing that anything can be done here. Police will lose its trust among people," Bommai said.