Cyberabad police on Thursday, January 2, said that 11 phones of five persons — who are suspected to have secretly recorded videos of girl students using the bathrooms in the hostels of CMR Engineering College, Medchal — have been for forensic analysis after no clips were found on the devices.
The cops, acting on allegations by the students, carried out a preliminary probe to verify if any such video were on the devices belonging to the suspects. Medchal Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) B Srinivas Reddy told The New Indian Express: "Although no obscene videos were found, we wanted to make sure that the suspects did not delete them and so sent the phones to the lab for analysis."
On Wednesday and Thursday (January 1 and 2), the college students staged a protest against the college management and hostel warden Preethi. They accused the mess staff of secretly recording their videos and peeping into bathrooms.
After questioning the five suspects and examining their phones on Wednesday night, police released them. However, their fingerprints were collected for verification.
Earlier, based on a complaint, police registered a case under Sections 77 (watching or capturing images of a woman engaged in a private act) and 125 (endangering personal safety or life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Meanwhile, a student pointed out that the management has provided accommodation to the mess staff at the back of the hostel, creating opportunities for them to access the girls' bathrooms.
A few students alleged that some persons had been peeping into bathrooms and recording videos.
The ACP said that the suspects’ accommodation was located close to the bathrooms, giving them access to those areas after completing their daily duties.
Srinivas Reddy said that upon receiving information, Medchal Inspector A Satyanarayana and other cops visited the college where they were told by the students that they had complained about unknown individuals near the bathrooms to the warden, but their concerns were dismissed.
The police called a fingerprint team to collect samples from the location where suspicious activity was reported. Two sets fingerprints were found and are being analysed, it is learnt, as per the report by The New Indian Express.
No grills on bathroom ventilators: ACP
"During our visit, we observed negligence on the part of the management. They had not installed grills on the bathroom ventilators, which contributed to the entire problem. When we questioned the principal, they claimed that the issue had never been brought to the management's attention," the ACP said, adding, "If we find evidence of negligence by the principal or warden in this case, we will take criminal action against them as well."
Addressing rumours circulating on social media platforms about 150 to 300 obscene videos on the phones of suspects, the ACP clarified that no such content was on their devices.
A student from the college stated that they became aware of the incident on December 31. “We complained to the warden, but she dismissed our concerns as baseless,” the student said.
Commenting on the absence of obscene videos on the suspects' phones, another student remarked, “There wasn’t even a single application on their phones. They had deleted all their data. If they didn’t do anything wrong, why did they delete everything?”
Warden suspended
District Secretary of National Students' Union of India (NSUI), Ravi Teja, said he had spoken to the students. “The students told me that catering staff targeted four or five bathrooms on the ground floor and recorded videos using their phones. When the students approached the warden, she responded negligently and even made inappropriate remarks,” he said.
On Wednesday, several parents arrived at the college to express their anger over the incident. One parent, who said he had paid Rs 1.3 lakh in fees, criticised the management not only for the lack of safety but also for poor food quality. “When I told my daughter I would speak to the management, she warned me that they might retaliate by cutting her marks,” a student’s father shared.
In response to the allegations, the college management has suspended warden Preethi and initiated an internal inquiry into the matter.
