Govt transfers investigation in Udupi washroom case to CID
The decision comes after the Karnataka government appointed S Belliyappa, deputy superintendent of police (SP) of Kundapur, as the new investigation officer (IO) to handle the case
The Karnataka government has handed over investigation into the washroom video case of a college in Udupi, to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where three girl students, studying an optometry course in the Netrajyothi Paramedical College, allegedly videographed a fellow student in the washroom.
On Monday, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah posted that there is an allegation that a video was filmed in the toilet of a private college in Udupi. Due to the sensitivity of the case, it has been handed over to the CID for further investigation.
His tweet said, “There is an allegation that a video was filmed in the toilet of a private college in Udupi, and as this is a sensitive case, the case has been handed over to the CID for further investigation.”
On July 18, three Muslim female students allegedly recorded a video of a Hindu girl in the college washroom.
A suo motu police case was filed in this connection on July 26. The Malpe police registered an FIR against the accused students - Shabnaz, Alfia, Aleema, and the institute under sections 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), section 204 (destruction of 1[document or electronic record] to prevent its production as evidence), section 175 (omission to produce document or electronic record to public servant by person legally bound to produce it) and section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 66(E) (punishment for violation of privacy) of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
The incident occurred at Netra Jyothi Institute of Allied Health Sciences, where the three students were in second year of a diploma course in optometry.
After the victim, a Hindu student, told her friends about the incident, they informed the college management, who then reported it to the police and also handed over the phone used for recording to them.
Soon after, the incident took a communal turn as right-wing groups claimed that the suspended students, who were Muslims, used hidden cameras to shoot private videos of Hindu girls, intending to circulate them among Muslim men as part of a “Jihadi conspiracy.”
However, the Udupi police strongly denied these claims.
The decision to hand over the case to the CID came after the Karnataka government appointed S Belliyappa, deputy superintendent of police (SP) of Kundapur, as the new investigation officer (IO) to handle the case, following protests from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Opposition BJP condemned the incident and demanded a judicial probe into the matter. “I suspect the role of PFI in the case. After the ban on PFI, we think that a PFI women’s wing has become active. The accused students might be a part of this operation. I don’t trust the investigation done by the state government. They should hand over the case to the central government,” Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna said.
