Khushbu Sundar: Need more probe before giving Udupi case a communal angle

Sundar, who arrived in Udupi on Wednesday, told reporters after a meeting with the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police that no concrete evidence has been found after extensive efforts by the police.

The National Commission for Women (NCW), which took note of the alleged recording of a video of a student in the washroom at a private paramedical college in Udupi, on Thursday said that no evidence was found so far, adding that a thorough probe is needed before giving the case a communal angle.

(BJP leader and NCW member Khushbu Sundar visited the institute in Udupi investigate the case and held talks with management (ANI)

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and NCW member Khushbu Sundar visited the institute in Udupi on Thursday to investigate the case and held talks with management.

Sundar, who arrived in Udupi on Wednesday, told reporters after a meeting with the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police that no concrete evidence has been found after extensive efforts by the police.

“The investigations are continuing, and a comprehensive enquiry is needed. The NCW and the police have found no evidence yet. Until concrete evidence is found, a chargesheet cannot be filed,” she said, adding that the commission has not registered a suo motu case.

On July 18, the three female Muslim students had allegedly recorded 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 and handed over the phone to the officials.

Khushbu said that the police were unable to take up the investigation in the absence of a formal complaint, adding that only after the college principal held a press conference on July 25, admitting the incident, the police registered a suo motu case.

She further said the commission’s focus is on protecting women, irrespective of religion, and urged people to avoid giving the incident a communal angle.

“The NCW and the police are diligently doing their job and will investigate without acting as judges. The NCW is committed to protecting women and does not work with any communal angle in mind,” Khushbu added.

The Malpe Police on Wednesday registered a suo motu case against the three students and the college management in connection with 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 [document or electronic record] to prevent its production as evidence), 175 (omission to produce [document or electronic record] to a public servant by a person legally bound to produce it), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66(E) (punishment for violation of privacy) of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

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, according to officials. Chouhan deleted the post after the Udupi Police raised an objection.

Meanwhile, the BJP workers on Thursday staged a demonstration near home minister Dr G Parameshwara’s residence in Bengaluru, alleging that the Congress government was supporting “terrorists” and taking the side of the accused students. The workers were detained by the police and taken away.

The women’s wing of the BJP also staged a sit-in demonstration at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.

In Udupi, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, too, staged demonstrations against the Congress government and sought to know why there was a delay in registering a case.

Union minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar slammed the Congress government for protecting the accused in the incident. He said, “Congress government’s inability to deliver the guarantees announced during the elections has led Siddaramaiah to play appeasement politics in the state.”

Minister for women and child welfare Lakshmi Hebbalkar, also the Udupi district in-charge minister, hit out at the BJP and accused the Opposition of politicising the issue “while Manipur is burning”.

“The police have registered an FIR in connection with the case. I have instructed the SP to initiate action as per the provisions of the law. Strict action will be taken against the accused. There is no need to politicise the incident, and the interest of the students is paramount. No one is above the law,” Hebbalkar said.