Three female students at Netra Jyoti College in Udupi, Karnataka, were suspended after a mobile camera was found in the women’s bathroom. The students were accused of recording private moments of females and sharing the footage on social media. The college management suspended the three students due to their violation of the campus’s mobile phone ban and their alleged recording of videos of their classmates in the restroom.
The victim was reluctant to file a complaint about the incident. Swarajya attempted to speak with the victims, but they declined to talk, stating that they were fearful of the consequences. Swarajya interviewed Rachan Saliyan, a member of the local student body – All College Student Power (R) (AICP), who filed the report and he revealed that upon catching one of the perpetrators in the act, the students organized a protest on 20 July 2023. Saliyan mentioned that the girls and their families are afraid that their videos may be leaked, exposing their identities and he suspects that the primary reason for the hesitation to file a complaint firsthand may be this.
Rashmi Samant, a Hindu human rights activist, spoke up for the victims who were allegedly recorded in the washrooms of the private institution. On 24 July 2023, Rashmi took to Twitter to raise questions about the lack of discussion surrounding the Udupi incident of secretly recording videos.
I'm from Udupi and nobody is talking about Alimatul Shaifa, Shabanaz and Aliya who placed cameras in female toilets of their college to record hundreds of unsuspecting Hindu girls. Videos and phots that were then circulated in community WhatsApp groups by the perpetrators.
— Rashmi Samant (@RashmiDVS) July 23, 2023
She posted a series of tweets on this matter. She tweeted, “I’m from Udupi, and nobody is talking about Alimatul Shaifa, Shabanaz, and Aliya, who placed cameras in female toilets of their college to record hundreds of unsuspecting Hindu girls. The perpetrators in community WhatsApp groups circulated videos and photos.”
Following this, on 24th July, Udupi police launched a campaign to locate her.
1. At 8:00 PM this evening, a group of policemen visited the residence of my client, @RashmiDVS . As Rashmi was not at home at the time, it was her parents who were questioned by the police and repeatedly asked about Rashmi’s whereabouts.
— Adhitya Srinivasan (@ads_0013) July 24, 2023
Whitewashing Of The Secret Video Recording Incident By Zubair
Mohammad Zubair, co-founder of Alt News and alleged fact-checker, denied the community angle in the matter and chose to amplify Samant’s tweets, as well as those of Shefali Vaidya and Arun Pudur, who were expressing support for the Hindu girls, claiming that they were spreading misinformation.
Will @PoliceUdupi take action against these accounts for amplifying misinformation related to Udupi?
C'C: @DrParameshwara @DgpKarnataka @HMOKarnataka pic.twitter.com/XY0e5f4FBB— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) July 24, 2023
Samant accused Zubair of having ulterior motives and stated that he was repeating the same modus operandi he exhibited with Nupur Sharma in the past.
Classic @zoo_bear trying to incite mobs against the Hindu women @ShefVaidya like he did to Nupur Sharma. Udupi is my home and I will not be intimidated into silence by the misinformation you peddle in the name of fact-checking. Now I don't have the time to teach you Kannada. https://t.co/8W4mPqHUhQ pic.twitter.com/LyrWZFEcJC
— Rashmi Samant (@RashmiDVS) July 24, 2023
She even shared newspaper cuttings and screenshots of reports to prove her stance.
I can't find enough proof in this whole world for your bigotry @zoo_bear
Local newspaper cuttings, naming all the perpetrators, statements from local student unions acknowledged by the SI Udupi and more. All I pray is that mahadev blesses all bigots with renewed sense of… https://t.co/pHO5MCUCiH pic.twitter.com/VQDfWoL8DZ
— Rashmi Samant (@RashmiDVS) July 25, 2023
In return, he blamed her for posting tweets that incited mobs and accused her of playing the “woman card”.
It's people like you who are trying to incite mob by misleading your readers and now justifying by quoting some unknown YouTube channel "Daksha News 24X7". Stop playing Woman card when you get exposed. https://t.co/ER6qFjo5nX
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) July 25, 2023
Zubair also quoted an article from The News Minute (aka TNMurasoli) which he said the management denied any community angle to the case.
Here an article by @thenewsminute
Udupi students suspended for filming girl in restroom, cops & College management deny communal angle. https://t.co/RZaHSqhiTm— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) July 24, 2023
It is imperative to remember that leftist media like AltNews, The Wire, The News Minute came together to found the DIGIPub News India Foundation.
How TNM Whitewashes The Incident
TNM brushed off this incident as an instance of bullying and states that the video was promptly deleted upon the victim’s confrontation. According to the article, the girls involved defend their actions as a mere “prank”.
TNM further asserts that the police have not discovered any video on the phone, nor have such videos been shared on WhatsApp.
Contrary to Zubair’s or the rest of the leftist media’s claims, it is to be noted that the news regarding the secret video recording at the Udupi nursing home and the circulation of videos on WhatsApp has, in fact, been covered by various national media outlets.
This is DeccanHerald, TV9Kannada and MangaloreToday early reports. IndiaTiday, TN, NDTV & many other followed later.
What are you trying to defend? https://t.co/tNVddk6YBz pic.twitter.com/HnwPmNkY98
— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) July 25, 2023
How NDTV Reported This News
NDTV reported that their intended target was someone else and the victim got videographed by mistake.
The girls apparently deleted the video in front of the victim, as stated by the director of the institution.
Mohammad Zubair is known for selectively presenting incidents to suit his agenda. In an ironic twist, the Congress-led government in Karnataka is establishing a ‘fact-check unit’ to counter ‘misinformation‘, but it has raised concerns as they are seeking assistance from questionable sources of information like Alt News, which is notorious for spreading fake news.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.