Students of Chandigarh University in Punjab’s Mohali ended their protest in the early hours of September 19, 2022 after the district administration and police assured them of a fair and transparent investigation into allegations that objectionable videos of several female students had been recorded.
The university, on September 19, 2022, suspended two wardens for negligence and also declared “non-teaching days” till September 24.
According to university sources, it also formed a joint committee comprised of students and senior functionaries to address certain issues pertaining to hostel timings and other student demands.
“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 would 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 up to this commitment towards our students. Protests rocked the campus on Saturday night over allegations that objectionable videos of several female students were recorded by a hosteller. Some students claimed that the videos were even leaked.
Police, however, said the female 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 in 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 also dismissed as “false and baseless” reports that claimed videos of several female students in the hostel were made and leaked on social media, as well as that distraught students 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 at night.
An FIR under Section 354-C (voyeurism) of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act has been registered in the matter and a further probe is on, police said.
