CID finishes first phase of probe in Karnataka washroom video case

Though the victim did not lodge a formal complaint on the incident, the Udupi police registered a suo motu case at the Malpe Police Station in Udupi, and a DSP-level probe was initiated.

Related: Siddaramaiah rules out central agency probe in Udupi video case

The probe

The CID team arrived in Udupi on 8 August and conducted a spot inquest, recorded the statement of the victim, the college administration and the accused students, collected the fingerprints, and reviewed the available CCTV footage collected by the police earlier.

The CID officials also obtained three reports from the mobile Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team from Bengaluru which visited the college for a spot examination.

The investigating officials are now awaiting the report from the FSL in Hyderabad on the three mobile phones seized from the accused students.

The CID team would prepare a report on their findings after obtaining the FSL report, sources said.

Related: Accused students surrender before court, get bail

Case transferred to CID

The Karnataka government handed over the case to the CID on Monday, 7 August.

“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, it has been handed over to the CID for further investigation,” the chief minister said on Monday.

The 19 July incident took a political turn following a series of protests in Udupi that demanded action against the three students of the Netra Jyothi College.

Certain circles gave a communal colour to the incident since the victim and the accused belong to different religious communities.

National Women’s Commission member and actor Khushbu Sundar visited Udupi on 26 July to conduct inquiries and ascertain the truth behind the incident.

The BJP held statewide protests on the issue, demanding the arrest of the three women and an SIT investigation.

Udupi Superintendent of Police Hakay Akshay Machhindra, too, confirmed that the case has been handed over to the CID. He declined to elaborate on the reason behind handing over the case to the CID.

Related: Karnataka cops refute communal angle in Udupi college incident

Background

The Netra Jyothi College in the communally sensitive Udupi district suspended three women students on 20 July for allegedly recording the video of a fellow student belonging to a different community in the institute’s toilet.

The college’s Director Rashmi Krishna Prasad said the incident occurred on 19 July. It came to light after the student who was videographed informed her friends, who in turn alerted the college.

The three students were suspended on two counts: They brought a mobile phone — which is banned in the college — into the institution, and they recorded the video, news agency PTI quoted the college director as saying.

Prasad said the three students told the other student that they were “pranking” someone else and that she was videographed inadvertently. They reportedly deleted the video in front of her, the director added.
The police also confirmed that the video was deleted and not forwarded to any other phone or posted on social media.

The college’s Academic Coordinator Balakrishna said the victimised student did not want to pursue the complaint.

“The girl student who was videographed has given in writing that she does not want to register a complaint. However, we have brought the incident to the notice of the police and even handed over the seized mobile phone to the cops so that they could examine if any other videos were taken or forwarded to others,” he told South First.

(With PTI inputs)