What is the Chandigarh hostel leaked videos row? Here are the details
Students protesting inside Chandigarh University campus.
Protests had rocked the campus of Chandigarh University in Punjab's Mohali on Sunday over allegations that objectionable videos of several women students were recorded and circulated by a hosteller.
Police have arrested three persons so far in the case and the protests were called off around 1.30 am on Monday after the administration accepted the demands put forward by the students.
Punjab's Additional Director General of Police, Gurpreet Deo told reporters that the woman student appeared to have shared a video of herself with the youth and no objectionable video of any other student was found, reported PTI.
The latest: Two hostel wardens have been suspended and the university has suspended classes till September 24, reported India Today. All hostel wardens are being transferred and the hostel timings have also been changed.
Mohali: Classes suspended for 6 days amid MMS scandal.
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) September 19, 2022
(@manjeet_sehgal )#Chandigarh #News @PoojaShali #ITVideo pic.twitter.com/HOND40C8bB
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday ordered a probe into the matter and expressed anguish over the incident. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty, he said.
चंडीगढ़ यूनिवर्सिटी की घटना सुनकर दुख हुआ...हमारी बेटियां हमारी शान हैं...घटना की उच्च स्तरीय जांच के आदेश दे दिए हैं..जो भी दोषी होगा सख्त कार्रवाई करेंगे...
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) September 18, 2022
मैं लगातार प्रशासन के संपर्क में हूं...मैं आप सब से अपील करता हूं कि अफवाहों से बचें... https://t.co/kgEGszUhAq
The university has also rejected reports that claimed videos of several women students in the varsity hostel were made and leaked on social media.
What is the issue? Protests started in the university campus from midnight on Saturday after students alleged that videos of nearly 60 girls taking baths in the hostel were leaked on the internet.
The university and the police have said that one video was circulated and it was captured and shared by the accused. The university said that the accused girl had made the video and shared it herself with her friend in Himachal Pradesh.
So far, authorities have arrested three persons - a woman student, a 23-year-old man, rumoured to be her boyfriend, from Himachal Pradesh and his 31-year-old friend, reported India Today.
No suicides: Chandigarh University's pro-chancellor issued a statement clarifying there have been no suicides or deaths on campus. "No student committed suicide. A preliminary probe reveals that the accused girl had sent her own pictures/videos to her boyfriend. No other material was found. FIR filed. Police are probing it. I appeal to students and parents not to believe any rumours," the pro-chancellor said.
Students' demands: The students of the university have demanded that the statements of those female students whose videos, they alleged, got leaked, be recorded before representative of students. They also sought an apology from the management.
Students individually put forth their demands before the university authorities on many issues including changing hostel wardens, relaxation in timings for hostel entry and safety issues, reported India Today.
Police's statement: Deputy Inspector General of Police, G PS Bhullar told the protesters that a Special Investigation Team headed by a senior woman IPS officer will be formed for an in-depth investigation. "It is our duty to clear every apprehension of the children," said Bhullar.
Mohali's SSP Vivek Sheel Soni said the arrested student's mobile phone has been seized for forensic analysis and added that no suicide attempt by any student or death has occurred, reported PTI. An FIR under IPC section 354-C (voyeurism) and the IT Act has been registered in the matter.
NCW takes cognisance: The National Commission for Women has sought an FIR in connection with the case. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to the DGP, Punjab to immediately file an FIR against the culprits and to deal with the matter strictly and without any laxity. The victims must be given proper counselling and their safety and security must be ensured, the NCW said.