The station house officer of the Malpe Police Station took up both cases suo motu as there were no complainants, said the Additional SP.
Published Jul 26, 2023 | 7:29 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 26, 2023 | 7:55 PM
Screen grab of Netra Jyothi College Director Rashmi Krishnaprasad addressing a Press Conference in Udupi on Tuesday.
A day after dismissing any communal angle to the incident of girl students of a college in the Udupi district of Karnataka filming a fellow student without her consent, the Malpe police registered two First Information Reports (FIRs) on late Tuesday, 25 July, and early Wednesday.
One FIR is on the incident involving the filming of the girl-student in the restroom of the college. The other FIR is against the circulation and spreading of misinformation and fake news using an unrelated video — which also contained doctored audio — that was uploaded on a YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday claimed this was “a small incident blown out of proportion”.
Both cases were taken up suo motu by the Malpe Police Station’s station house officer (SHO), who is the complainant in both cases, since there have been no complaints by affected parties.
“As neither the victim nor her family members and not even the college management were ready to come forward with a complaint, the SHO of the Malpe Police Station, Woman Police Sub-Inspector (WPSI) Sushma, lodged a complaint, and the FIRs were registered based on it,” Additional Superintendent of Police (AdSP) ST Siddalingappa told South First.
One FIR was registered against the three women students — who are pursuing optometry at Netra Jyothi College and belong to a minority community — under Sections 509 (intent to outrage the modesty of a woman), 175 (intentionally omitting to produce a document), 204 (destroying any document or electronic record) read with 34 (common intention) of the IPC, and Section 66E (capturing, publishing, or transmitting the image of the private area of any person) of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
“The college management has also been made an accused party to this case as it failed to inform the police about the incident soon after it came to light. Only after the Bajrang Dal members gathered for a protest the next day in front of the college did they inform the police and hand over the mobile phone [on which the video was recorded], “Addl SP ST Siddalingappa told South First.
The police have also invoked Section 175 (intentionally omitting to produce a document or an electronic record to a public servant by a person legally bound to produce or deliver such material evidence) of the IPC against the college management staff.
The second FIR was registered on Wednesday against the online portal One India Kannada and a profile on X (formerly Twitter) said to belong to one Kalu Singh Chouhan for allegedly peddling misinformation or rumour on the Udupi filming incident.
The portal is accused of using an unrelated visual clip — allegedly an old video from Tamil Nadu shot on a hidden cam, but with doctored audio to make it look like it was from Udupi — in one of its stories.
Kalu Singh Chouhan shared this video on X, which went viral on the social media platform, a senior police officer told South First.
Fearing legal consequences, the handle @kscChouhan then tweeted: “I downloaded this video from @OneindiaKaVideo! It’s their fault! All other information is 100% true! Till today I have never spread false news! I share information based on truth and facts and will continue to do so! [sic]”
I downloaded this video from @OneindiaKaVideo! It’s their fault! All other information is 100% true! Till today I have never spread false news! I share information based on truth and facts and will continue to do so!
YouTube channel link https://t.co/ig7qomRMJP pic.twitter.com/dRTlDRJzge
— Kalu Singh Chouhan (@kscChouhan) July 24, 2023
As the said video had gone viral, there were thousands of tweets giving the Udupi incident a communal spin with allegations of “jihad” and speculations of a “statewide network to target Hindu women”.
Several right-wing X (Twitter) handles, including the BJP’s official social media handle, spread this misinformation.
This compelled the police to verify the details and provide a clarification that there was no communal angle to the incident.
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 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.
Soon after the fake news factories and handles went into overdrive, claiming that the incident was an attempt to target “hundreds of unsuspecting Hindu girls”, a few news portals — including South First — debunked those claims quoting the college management and the police.
However, the X handles that claimed that the incident in Udupi involved “hundreds of Hindu girls” and alleged the videos were “shared on community whatsapp groups” accused police of harassment and intimidation when they landed up on their doorsteps to verify their claims.
The BJP too deemed this “harassment” by the police. BJP leader Basanagouda R Patil tweeted: “Is it a Pre-planned plot against the Hindu girls? SP Udupi should investigate this matter from all angles and perpetrators should be booked. [sic]”
Udupi issue is not simple or it was “By Mistake”
3muslim girls are suspended and booked for recording a video of a Hindu girl in the washroom and sharing it with a Muslim who made it viral on social media.
Is it a Pre-planned plot against the Hindu girls?
SP Udupi should… pic.twitter.com/yAlQgKYrZd
— Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal) (@BasanagoudaBJP) July 25, 2023
National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma tweeted: “We have taken it up. Member @khushsundar is going for an inquiry today ( 26 July, Wednesday). [sic]”
Actor-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar arrived in Udupi and took stock of the situation. She also spoke out against fake news being spread about the incident.
In Udupi. Investigations are on. Meeting the police now and getting first hand report. Different stories, different theories, different conclusions, fake what’s app forwards needs to stop. And to some idiots, I flew in from delhi. Clear story of stupidity at its best. Just speak…
— KhushbuSundar (Modi ka Parivaar) (@khushsundar) July 26, 2023
Khusbhu Sundar reached Udupi only after the two FIRs were registered.
Meanwhile, Alt News chief Mohammed Zubair told South First: “We were only debunking their (right-wing handles’) theories and claims — misinformation and rumours that this isolated Udupi filming incident was part of a larger jihadist conspiracy, and that the circulation of nude photos and videos of hundreds of Hindu women among WhatsApp groups of Muslim men.”
He added: “This was being endorsed with an unrelated old video from Tamil Nadu, according to the police, with a doctored audio doing rounds to prove it was from Udupi.”
He continued: “When did we deny that the incident involving the students did not happen? We were only quoting the facts on record that the police authorities and the college management came out with officially.”
He also said: “One should appreciate the Udupi police for registering a separate FIR on the peddling of fake news and misinformation, besides registering an FIR on the college incident.”
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara downplayed the incident.
“That is a small incident. Reports say it happened amongst friends. Should it be blown out of proportion and given a political colour?” asked Parameshwara while speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
Hitting out at the BJP, he said they should stop blowing up these “small issues” simply for political reasons. They should keep in mind that there should be peace in society, he said.
“Weren’t these things happening in the past? Weren’t these things happening in the past in colleges and universities? No one did politics then, why are they doing it now? There are many other works but they (BJP) never speak on them. They did not speak about drought and floods. The BJP is doing petty politics. It should have other work. Now it appears that it does not have any other work,” Parameshwara said.
(With PTI inputs)
