BJP worker held over comments on Karnataka CM

“According to Congress, the Muslim women recording the video of Hindu girls, was child’s play. Would they have said the same if Siddaramaiah’s wife or daughter-in-law’s video was recorded in the same way?” the BJP worker tweeted in Kannada.

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru police on Friday arrested a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker for allegedly posting derogatory comments on social media against chief minsiter Siddaramiah regarding the ‘washroom filming’ incident at a private paramedical college in Udupi, officials familiar with the matter said.

A BJP worker arrested for allegedly posting derogatory comments on social media against chief minister Siddaramaiah regarding Udupi washroom case. (Representational Image)

The BJP worker, identified as Shakunthala, hit out at Siddaramaiah regarding the incident on Twitter. “According to Congress, the Muslim women recording the video of Hindu girls, was child’s play. Would they have said the same if Siddaramaiah’s wife or daughter-in-law’s video was recorded in the same way?” she tweeted in Kannada.

The BJP worker was arrested by the High Grounds police based on a Congress worker’s complaint. She was later released on station bail, officials said.

On Friday, an FIR was also registered against the BJP Yuva Morcha workers who protested in front of home minister Dr G Parameshwara’s residence over the incident. An FIR has been registered against BJP Yuva Morcha activist Prashant and other ten people under sections 143 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), at the Sadashivanagar police station in Bengaluru, officials said.

Accused get conditional bail

Meanwhile, a court in Udupi on Friday, granted conditional bail to the three Muslim students who were involved in the incident.

The First Additional Civil Judge of Udupi and the Judicial Magistrate of First Class (JMFC) court, judge Shyam Prakash, deliberated on the matter before granting bail to the accused.

The Malpe police on Wednesday registered a suo-motu case against the three students and the college management in connection with the incident.

According to the FIR, on July 18, the accused attempted to film one of their friends in the washroom at the Netra Jyothi College of Optometry and Paramedical Science. However, a student from another stream ended up using the washroom. The students have deleted the video after an objection, according to officials. The college had suspended the three students and informed the police about the incident.

The FIR was filed against Shabnaz, Alfia and Aleema, and the institute under Sections 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 204 (destruction of 1[document or electronic record] to prevent its production as evi­dence), 175 (omission to produce 1[document or electronic record] to public servant by person legally bound to produce it) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC and 66(E) (punishment for violation of privacy) of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

The police said they have taken the mobile phone of the accused and claimed that the alleged video could not be retrieved. Member of National Women’s Commission Khushbu Sundar who visited Udupi to investigate the case, also said that no video evidence of the incident was found, while urging people not to give any communal angle to the matter.

The Malpe police also registered a suo-motu case against a Twitter user for allegedly peddling misinformation about the incident. A case was registered against Kalu Singh Chouhan, for sharing an edited video on Twitter uploaded on the One India Kannada YouTube channel, for disturbing communal harmony.

Meanwhile, the BJP’s Udupi unit on Friday, held a massive protest rally, demanding that the case be referred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). A rally was held from the Udupi district BJP office at Kadiyali to the police superintendent office at Bannaje, amid tight police security.

“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.