Protests erupt at Chandigarh University over objectionable videos

Tribune News Service

Mohali, September 18

The unrest that erupted among students on the Chandigarh University campus on Saturday evening continued to boil till late Sunday evening with the police and varsity officials trying desperately to contain the situation.

Throughout the day, heated arguments were witnessed among the police, parents of the students and university officials over some objectionable videos of college hostellers being recorded by a student.

• 20,000 students from country, abroad enrolled in CU
• 4,000 girls pursuing various courses at private varsity

Unanswered questions

• When initial reports suggested videos of multiple girls were shot and shared, varsity administration maintained only the suspect girl’s video was found in her phone that was shared with her male friend
• If videos of multiple girls were shared, what was the intent? Why would she send objectionable videos of other girls to her boyfriend? Were the videos used for monetary gains or extortion?

In august, CU girl held for kidnap

• On August 19, three youngsters, including a CU girl student, held for ‘kidnapping’ a fellow student, demanding Rs 50L ransom
• Kharar resident Hitesh Bhumla, pursuing BE, held captive for 48 hours by suspects before being rescued
• The girl suspect made fake social media profiles and after befriending Hitesh, lured him into meeting her
• The two met at a mall and the girl along with accomplices later kidnapped Hitesh and demanded ransom from parents for his release

The parents wanted to enter the campus and visit the hostel to meet their wards. Many girls were seen leaving the campus with belongings in the morning.

While the police and administration officials continued to deny that several objectionable videos were shot by the suspect, hostel inmates and students refused to buy this.

“There is inconsistency between what the police and varsity officials are saying and what students maintain. It is because of this that frequent protests are erupting on the university campus,” said a hostel inmate.

More than 20,000 students, including 4,000 girls, are pursuing various courses in the private university located at Gharuan. Students from all over the country and foreign nationals stay and study on the campus.

While the police maintained no suicide attempt was made following the incident, several CU students present at the protests said as many as four girls were taken to the hospital in ambulances. Throughout the day, the police remained tight-lipped about the well-being or location of the victims.

A senior police official said: “There was a massive protest in the evening when a police team arrived. We had a tough time entering the campus. Without the public address system, it was difficult to address them. They were chanting ‘We want justice’ slogans. When we asked them how we could help them, they started slipping away.”

A protesting student said some questions remained unanswered by the Chandigarh University officials. "They must explain as to how a girl student shot a video inside the common washroom of a hostel," said the student. Further, when initial reports suggested videos of numerous girls were shot and shared, the varsity administration maintained only the girl's video was found in her phone that was shared with her boyfriend, the student added.

It had come to light the girls were recently shifted to a hostel building that earlier housed boys, raising privacy concerns. The police said the common washroom had partial partitioning i.e. only in the middle, with both top and bottom portions left exposed. Hostel inmates claimed to have noticed the suspect sliding a camera phone from beneath the partitioning in a bid to shoot a video.

The students accused the university security and police of trying to muzzle protest and resorting to a mild-lathicharge to disperse them. The university gates were closed and no one was allowed to move out.

This morning, the worried parents were not allowed to enter the campus or meet their wards for some time.

Building earlier housed boys

Girls were recently shifted to a hostel building that earlier housed boys, raising privacy concerns. The police said the common washroom had partial partitioning i.e. only in the middle, with both top and bottom portions left exposed.

Saturday

3pm Girl caught sliding a camera phone to shoot video of another student taking shower in hostel

3pm-4pm Suspect grilled by hostel warden, matter reported

to the DSW office manager

6.40pm Information received at Sadar Kharar police station

7pm Police team reaches the scene, begins investigation

11pm Students assemble at LC Hostel’s D block, protest starts

Sunday

1.30am Ambulance rushes an unconscious girl to hospital

10.30am State women panel chief, varsity DSW claim no suicide attempt by anyone; girl held

12.30pm Heated arguments between students/parents and cops/varsity officials

1.30pm ADGP, DIG and Mohali SSP meet ‘affected’ students

4.30pm Protests break out on campus again; heavy police force deployed to contain crowd

6pm Varsity transfers some officials for not taking timely action

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