The BJP activists also voiced their condemnation of the police department's delay in registering a complaint regarding the incident.
On Friday, July 28, a group of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists staged a protest in Udupi, demanding that the Union government take over the investigation of a filming incident involving three Muslim students at a local paramedical college. In the incident, the students had recorded a video of a Hindu student in the restroom.
BJP MLA of Udupi, Yashpal Suvarna, expressed his lack of trust in the Siddaramaiah government and called for the case to be handed over to the Union government for a detailed investigation, suspecting a larger conspiracy behind the incident.
Yashpal said, “I do not trust the Siddaramaiah government. They should hand over the case to the Union government and a detailed investigation or joint investigation with the state government should be conducted."
BJP activists, led by prominent BJP MLAs Yashpal Suvarna (Udupi), Gurme Suresh Shetty (Kaup), Kiran Kumar Kodgi (Kundapur), and Gururaj Shetty Gantihole (Byndoor), marched from the party headquarters to the Superintendent of Police (SP) office, chanting slogans and holding placards.
Amidst the protests, the BJP activists demanded swift and effective action against the three accused students. They stressed the need to ensure the safety and security of all citizens in Karnataka.
The BJP activists also voiced their condemnation of the police department's delay in registering an FIR regarding the incident. The police filed a suo motu case only eight days after the incident. According to the FIR, the accused were attempting to film one of their friends on July 18 at the Netra Jyothi College of Optometry and Paramedical Science, but a student from another stream ended up using the bathroom. The case against the three women and the college administration was registered under sections 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), 204 (destruction of document or electronic record to prevent its production as evidence), 175 (omission to produce document to 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. Additionally, Section 66 (e) (punishment for violation of privacy) of the Information Technology Act was invoked.
On July 28, a court in Udupi granted conditional bail to the three students.
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