Udupi Washroom Video Row: Karnataka Home Minister asks 'is Udupi situation as bad as Manipur?'
Three Muslim students, who were allegedly involved in a filming incident at a local paramedical college in Karnataka's Udupi district, have been granted conditional bail by a local court. The students had allegedly recorded a video of a Hindu student in the restroom using a mobile phone. Meanwhile, the case continues to take political twists with Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara seeming to questioning the National Commission for Women's visit and wondered if the incident that happened in Udupi was that big a deal.
FollowWondering why the NCW had "not gone" to Manipur yet, Parameshwara seemed to question why NCW member Kushboo Sundar travelled to Udupi to investigate the alleged 'washroom filming case' at a paramedical college.
He asked the media persons, "Is this incident in Udupi that big? I have no say in who has to be there or what they have to see. What happened in Manipur, I have no idea what to call it, and the naming committee hasn't even started yet. Is the event that took place in Udupi really that big a deal?"
When asked why a FIR had not been filed sooner in the Udupi college issue, the minister said, "Police were waiting for someone to give the complaint. Neither side wanted the tension to reach that level." The public's focus on the issue encouraged them to take initiative on their own.
Karnataka Toilet Video Scandal: Women's panel says don't give communal colour, thorough probe needed
Parameshwara described the incident in which female students at an Udupi college allegedly videographed another female student while she was using the restroom as 'a tiny event blown out of proportion'. He clarified that by 'small issue' he was not trying to dismiss the subject altogether.
BJP Yuva Morcha Karyakartas staged a protest in front of the Home Minister's residence. An FIR was lodged against all of them on Friday.
Former Education Minister Dr Ashwath Narayan said, "It appears that the home department will take no action. Looking at the department's actions, one wonders whether the government is still alive. The Siddaramaiah government has abused its authority. It is a jihadist, communal government. The incident in Udupi is an example of this. The government initially said that the incident did not occur. The victim did not make a complaint, thus the case was not registered."
