Udupi Case Shows How Modi Haters Are Ready To Ditch Women Victims For Narrative Management

In the city of Udupi, Karnataka, a disturbing controversy has unfolded surrounding the illicit recording of a female student in a college restroom.

However, rather than addressing the profound concerns about women's safety and dignity, the dominant political faction in the state and its backers appear more interested in preventing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from capitalising on the situation politically.

Consequently, the focus has veered from the female victim to attempts to brand the BJP and its supporters as a source of discord.

To comprehend the circumstances, we should first consider the currently established facts.

On 18 July, a female student at a private paramedical college in Udupi, Netra Jyothi College of Optometry and Paramedical Science, disclosed to her peers that three classmates had recorded her in the restroom.

Upon hearing this, the college administration initiated an inquiry and subsequently suspended the three accused women.

The All College Student Power, a student body, staged a protest and called for an investigation to the Udupi Superintendent of Police, Hakay Akshay Machhindra.

The matter escalated on social media after police showed up at the house of a Twitter user, regarding her tweets about the case, which were based on initial news reports.

On 25 July, the college principal held a press conference and said that the students were not only penalised for recording their classmate in the restroom but also for contravening the college's strict prohibition of mobile phones on the premises.

The religious identities of the students involved have exacerbated the situation, as the three accused — Alimatul Shaifa, Shabanaz, and Aliya — are Muslims, while the victim is Hindu.

The next day, Malpe police in Udupi independently took action, charging the three women and the institute under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act. The specific charges included insulting a woman's modesty, destruction of potential evidence, failure to produce electronic records to a public servant, and invasion of privacy.

According to the FIR, the incident occurred when the victim, referred to as Student 'B', was mistakenly recorded in the restroom instead of Student 'A', whom the accused intended to film.

Upon discovering the video, it was deleted, and an apology was extended to the victim. However, the college management subsequently confiscated the accused students' mobile phones.

Readers may note that Student ‘A’ is also Hindu.

On 28 July, the accused received anticipatory bail from an Udupi court on personal bonds of Rs 20,000 each, following their lawyer's argument that the complaint was not filed by the victim.

In light of these events, we must ask ourselves: Who is the true victim here, and what roles should the police, activists, and politicians play in this scenario? The answer must center around the victim.

Secret recording of a female student in a college restroom is not a trivial issue. Such secretly filmed videos can potentially find their way onto the internet, leading to severe consequences such as trafficking or blackmailing. In several cases, women blackmailed using their secretly recorded videos have committed suicide, such as this.

While the specifics of this case are still under investigation, the intent behind the accused students' actions remains unclear. Regardless, the college deemed their actions severe enough to warrant suspensions after an internal probe.

Despite these disturbing circumstances, the newly elected government in the state appears preoccupied with accusations against the BJP, accusing them of politicising and inflaming religious tensions over the issue.

The state police took action more than a week after news of the secret recording surfaced.

The ruling party and its supporters, as well as media outlets perceived to align with their interests, seem to be more intent on deflecting political fallout than addressing the core issue at hand.

One such portal, termed the act of filming the woman as “an act of bullying”. Another news portal asked in the headline if the video was “shot for fun”.

They are also seemingly trying to muddy the waters. Rather than focusing on the central issue, they are skillfully trying to reframe the narrative as a fabrication.

They are challenging the assertions made by certain groups that the restroom was rigged with multiple hidden cameras, that hundreds of women were caught in the act, and the footage was shared with individuals sharing the same faith as the accused.

This appears to be an overt attempt to downplay the secret filming of a single woman by three women of a different faith.

As a result, the disturbing matter of women's safety in educational institutions is overshadowed by political point-scoring.