Students staged a protest at the college after they found that the management did not respond to their complaints about the hidden cameras.
Published Sep 03, 2024 | 6:00 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 03, 2024 | 9:26 PM
Seshadri Rao Gudlavalleru Engineering College, Andhra Pradesh
An incident at Gudlavalleru College in Andhra Pradesh incident took a surprising turn as Education Minister Nara Lokesh dismissed it as sensationalised propaganda. On Thursday, 29 August, women students protested after finding a hidden camera in the restroom of the women’s hostel a week prior.
Students alleged that the footage had been sold and was being circulated in the men’s hostel. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu ordered a probe into the allegations on Friday, 30 August.
Students at the Seshadri Rao Gudlavalleru Engineering College, a 26-year-old college in Gudivada city of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh, said it was a case of gross violation of privacy, and alleged that at least 300 sensitive videos of the students were sold, and that they are currently in circulation.
Students staged a protest on Thursday, 29 August, after they found that the college management, for a whole week, did not respond to their complaints about the presence of cameras in the washrooms of the women’s hostel.
Students alleged that the accused had sold videos from women’s washrooms. The hostel warden had lodged a police complaint in the matter, and the students said that the warden confirmed the presence of the camera by mentioning it in the complaint lodged with police.
With the investigation hitting a wall, students claim that the management is attempting to cover up the incident. Students said the management is also pressuring students to move out of the hostel in a bid to hamper investigations.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu intervened to order a probe, and instructed District Minister Kollu Ravindra, Collector DK Balaji, and SP Gangadhar Rao to take necessary steps to calm the situation. SP Gangadhar Rao has been put in charge of the investigation.
A case was registered at 4.30 am on Friday, 30 August at the Gudlavalleru Police Station and according to cops, a final-year male student is being questioned.
At a press conference at Mangalagiri on 1 September, Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Nara Lokesh said no hidden camera was there in the hostel washroom, as alleged. “There is no hidden camera anywhere, no leaked videos either,” he said, claiming that the “Blue Media” (a term he uses to refer to media biased in favour of the opposition YSRCP) was carrying on a programme of vendetta against him.
“The media wants to sensationalise this entire ordeal. If you report the facts, we take no issue with that, but please don’t spread misinformation,” he said. He explained that all phones of students had been confiscated, and no videos were found on them, as alleged.
“Despite tall claims of thousands of videos in circulation, the investigative authorities have found none,” he said, claiming that the issue was between four persons, and the accused is currently in custody.
Taking the media to task, he said journalists covering this event must prove these hyperbolic claims. If there were indeed hidden cameras, he would not shirk his responsibility and would accept blame, Lokesh said.
On social media, there were clips of a face-off between the college management and members of the media. College management forced media persons to leave the campus while a few journalists were pushed away by members of the college management, and police intervened to restore calm.
Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Nara Lokesh dismissed the claims of any hidden cameras or leaked videos in the Gudlavalleru College Incident
Meanwhile, clips of a faceoff between the management of the college and the media made rounds on social media. The media, reporting in front of one of the college’s buses, were intimidated by the institution’s management asking them to leave.
The face off also got physical with the management pushing some journalists on the ground as the police intervened.
A source close to the students at the college told South First that all the women students have been sent home. “Parents were worried and the college authorities took the decision to send the women home on requests from parents,” the source said, adding that police have recorded the students’ complaints and a report is awaited.
The source would not disclose whether there was indeed a hidden camera in the women’s washroom. “The few students who reported seeing the camera are unwilling to step up and lodge formal complaints,” the source said, adding that until a student comes forward to lodge a complaint, the case will remain in limbo.
“The police are currently looking into who spread this news to try and get their statements,” the source said, adding that there is much as yet unknown in this case. “Nobody is sure who saw the camera or who spread the videos. The one student they took into custody was suspected of circulating sensitive videos, police have confiscated his devices,” the source said.
Students remain in protest mode and claim that the management is attempting to bury this incident – they say women students are being sent home to throw the investigation off track. On 31 August, police stated that they had not found any hidden cameras. Krishna District SP Gangadhar Rao said no videos were found, after all the devices belonging to the accused final-year student were examined.
The management of the Seshadri Rao Gudlavalleru Engineering College was unavailable to comment on the issue.
(Edited by Rosamma Thomas)
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