Filming of college girl in washroom: NCW member Kushboo Sundar heads to Udupi to monitor case

National Commission for Women (NCW) member Kushboo Sundar said on Wednesday that she was heading to Udupi in Karnataka to look into the issue of alleged recording of a video of a female student in a paramedical college washroom by her fellow students.

An FIR has been registered against three girl students of the college, identified as Shabhnaz, Alfiya and Aleema, over the incident.

They have been suspended from the college - Netra Jyothi Institute of Allied Health Sciences - for allegedly filming a fellow student using a mobile phone inside a washroom.

The NCW member said the incident was "extremely saddening".

The issue has also triggered a political row, with the BJP announcing a statewide protest on Thursday demanding the arrest of the three Muslim students involved in the filming of a Hindu girl.

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In a tweet, Kushboo Sundar 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."

Earlier in the day, former Karnataka CM and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai said that the police is not taking any action even after lodging an FIR in the case, claiming that they are under tremendous political pressure.

“…Police is not taking any action…They wanted to take action against the girl who raised an alarm, the whistleblower, rather than the culprits. After a hue and cry, they have lodged an FIR. State Govt is saying it is fake news. If it is so, why were three girls suspended and why is there an apology letter?…Police have failed…They are under tremendous political pressure. I urge them to work without any political pressure,” said the former Karnataka Chief Minister.

On July 19, three Muslim students were suspended by a private paramedical college for recording a video of their classmate when she was in the washroom.

The incident came to light when the Hindu student told her friends, who informed the college management. The college management in turn informed the police about the incident and handed over the phone to the police.

According to a Hindustan Times report, the incident took a communal turn with the right-wing groups claiming that the suspended students, who were Muslims, used hidden cameras to shoot private videos of Hindu girls, in order to circulate them among Muslim men as part of the “Jihadi conspiracy”.

The Udupi police has, however, strongly denied these claims.

With inputs from agencies