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regular-article-logo Wednesday, 08 May 2024

Chandigarh University to be closed till September 24 amid row over leaked video

Hostel warden suspended for alleged misbehaviour with protesting students

PTI Chandigarh Published 19.09.22, 10:09 AM
Students stage a protest over objectionable videos of several women students were allegedly recorded by a hosteller, at Chandigarh University in Mohali district

Students stage a protest over objectionable videos of several women students were allegedly recorded by a hosteller, at Chandigarh University in Mohali district PTI picture

Students of Chandigarh University in Punjab's Mohali ended their protest in the early hours of Monday after the district administration and police assured them of a fair and transparent investigation into allegations that objectionable videos of several women students had been recorded.

The university on Monday suspended two wardens for negligence and also declared "non-teaching days" till September 24.

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The hostel warden, who was seen in a viral video confronting the arrested girl who has been accused of allegedly sending the videos to men outside the university, reportedly didn't inform police about the matter immediately. She also allegedly scolded the girls when students started the protest.

Three people have been arrested in the case so far. The accused girl and her boyfriend, a resident of Shimla, were arrested following massive protests by students. Twenty-three-year-old Sunny Mehta works at a travel agency. A second man, who works at a bakery, has also been arrested. His role is not clear yet.

Further, it formed a joint committee comprising students and senior functionaries to address certain issues pertaining to hostel timings and other demands of the students, sources in the varsity said.

"They (students) ended their protest at around 1:30 am," Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Sheel Soni said.

He told reporters that a special investigation team headed by a senior police officer will be formed to probe the case.

The university in a tweet said, "We are always with our students, be it their academic aspirations or their safety and well-being. We will leave no stone unturned to live it upto this commitment towards our students."

Protest had rocked the campus on Saturday night over allegations that objectionable videos of several women students were recorded by a hosteller. Some students claimed that the videos were even leaked.

Police, however, had said the woman student appeared to have shared a video of only herself with a 23-year-old man, stated to be her boyfriend, and no objectionable video of any other student was found.

She was arrested from Punjab itself while the man was held in Himachal Pradesh and handed over to the Punjab Police. Officials said the woman's mobile phone has been seized for forensic analysis and added that there was no suicide attempt by any student.

The university authorities had also rejected as "false and baseless" reports that claimed videos of several women students in the hostel were made and leaked on social media and that distraught students had attempted suicide.

The students, however, had accused the university authorities of "suppressing facts" and held a fresh protest on Sunday evening, which continued till late night.

An FIR under Section 354-C (voyeurism) of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act has been registered in the matter and further probe is on, police said.

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