On Friday, July 27, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members in the state of Karnataka launched a massive protest against the three women students of a private paramedical college in Udupi for filming fellow students inside a washroom using mobile phones. The BJP members and workers held placards and posters and raised slogans against the Congress government in the state as they protested on the streets of Udupi.
While the BJP Mahila Morcha and other members took the protests to the Udupi streets, the workers of BJP Yuva Morcha staged a protest outside Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara’s residence, demanding action against the accused Muslim women in the case.
#WATCH | Udupi, Karnataka | BJP leaders and workers hold a protest against the Udupi video Incident. pic.twitter.com/jyovIYNEwY
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2023
On July 18, the three Muslim students recorded a video of their classmate in the Netra Jyoti College, Udupi when she was in the washroom. The incident came to light when the victim Hindu student, told her friends about the incident, who then informed the college management.
Reportedly, the Udupi district police filed FIR in the case on July 26 against the Muslim students who clandestinely recorded private video of Hindu students in the washroom and uploaded it on social media. The college management had earlier taken the cognizance of the event and had conducted an inquiry into the matter. The management had also concluded that the video had been deleted, closing the case.
However, due to public outrage, a suo moto case had been registered at the Malpe Police Station in the Udupi district. A case has been filed against three Muslim students named Alimatul Shaifa, Shabanaz, and Alia, who were responsible for creating the video, as well as against the management board of Netrajyoti College. They have been charged with evidence destruction. The police have registered multiple cases under sections 509, 204, 175, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
Earlier, the BJP had condemned the incident and had criticized the Congress party for showing the ‘soft-corner’ for the accused girls. “Three Muslim girls recorded a Hindu girl secretly when she was in the washroom. They then sent the video to several groups. A detailed probe must be ordered into the incident. The government is showing soft-corner on the three students. There is a big network behind this incident,” BJP state general secretary N Ravi Kumar had said.
Also BJP leader and Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna had demanded legal action against the accused girls. “It is not right to keep cameras in the washroom. This may be a blackmailing tactic. I will urge for suitable action against the three offenders. I will bring this to the notice of the chief minister and home minister… The motive of the Muslim girl students is causing suspicion. I doubt the work of Jihadi organizations behind this act,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Udupi SP Akshay Machhindra claimed that there was no hidden camera in the washroom and no videos were being shot. “There’s a lot of confusion as many people are sharing misinformation on social media. I am here to clarify that the video was not shared with anyone. Many have said that there was a hidden camera inside the restroom and videos were being shot. No such thing has come to our attention,” he was quoted as saying.
However, the other girls from the college stated that the Muslim women who were making videos of Hindu girls have been doing this for over a year months and have also shared the videos with Muslim boys.
“This incident was happening for the past 1 year. Post capturing in mobile the Muslim girls were exchanging the Mobile with their Muslim Male friends who were waiting in a car outside the college. The exchange of mobile was happening in the afternoon lunch hour. This was highlighted to the college management but they did not take any kind of action. It was on the 18th that the victim went to management and complained, but management did not take it seriously. We got to know on the 20th and immediately we sat on protest,” the girl was quoted as saying.
She also said that the College Administrator, Abdul Khader took cognizance of the event and punished the girls by giving them homework. As per the student, the administrator asked the Hindu girls to not take it seriously since the Muslim girls were filming them in the washroom as a “prank”.
The BJP earlier had also held a press meet in Bengaluru and had condemned the incident further demanding probe in the matter. The BJP Mahila Morcha had also then called for a statewide protest on July 27 demanding action against the three students.
