Udupi video incident: BJP stages protest, seeks probe by central agency

Udupi (Karnataka) [India]: The BJP on Friday held a protest against the Udupi video incident, with the local MLA Yashpal Suvarna leading the call for a free and fair investigation by a central agency.

Speaking to media, the BJP leader said, “We are protesting for justice…we want a free and fair investigation by a central agency.

The government is not taking appropriate action on this issue.” Meanwhile, responding to the Udupi incident, Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr. MC Sudhakar assured appropriate action against the culprits.

The minister said, “What happened in Udupi is not acceptable. The students are bound by certain limits that shouldn’t cross. They are grown-ups. We have taken serious note of this matter. An investigation is already underway. The guilty won’t be spared.”

Days after the alleged incident, where three girls of a medical college in Karnataka’s Udupi district filmed fellow students in the washroom, was reported, the Udupi Police registered two separate FIRs in the matter.

According to a statement released by the police, they took suo motu cognizance of the incident and two separate cases were registered in connection with the incident.
They added that a probe was already underway.

According to the police, one of the FIRs was filed against the three girls and the management of the college administration for allegedly filming a private picture of a person and deleting the said video.

The second case is linked to the uploading of an edited video on YouTube channels. The video was posted allegedly on a Twitter handle, which the police alleged was used to spread fake news and offensive and communal hatred on social media.

A case was filed at the Malpe police station for attempting to cause harm to harmony, police said, adding that the matter will be probed.

The video incident triggered a war of words between the Congress government in Karnataka and the principal Opposition, BJP.

The BJP accused the Siddaramiah government of not taking timely action in the matter.