Protest breaks out in Andhra college over alleged hidden camera in women’s washroom

A massive protest broke out at Seshadri Rao Gudlavalleru Engineering College in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district on Thursday, August 29, after a hidden camera was discovered in the washroom of the womens’ hostel. Women students residing in the hostel gathered in large numbers, along with their male batchmates chanting "we want justice" slogans as they called on the administration to take action.

According to the protesting students, a fellow student identified as Vijay, installed a hidden camera in the washroom with the help of a female student.

According to reports, Vijay is being questioned and his laptop, which is alleged to contain over 300 videos of the crime, has been seized. Students have further alleged that the recorded videos have been circulated among the male students.

However, contrary to the claims of the protesting students, the police said that they did not find any camera. The police’s response has further infuriated the students. The students have also raised issues of administrative apathy despite being informed of the problem.

“This is not fully reliable. We have however registered a case and we are investigating the issue. We checked twice and found no cameras,” Krishna district Superintendent of Police (SP) Gangadhar Rao told TNM.

“We approached the administration yesterday and at first they said that they didn’t know of the issue even though we informed them about this a week ago. Next they told us that they need a month to investigate the issue. It has been less than 24 hours. How did they conclude that this is not reliable,” remarked Sharanya, a student at the college.

The students alleged that they are being threatened by the administration for highlighting the crime.

“We are being threatened for bringing up the issue. Where is the justice? This has been ongoing for a week,” remarked another protestor. Sharanya also claimed that the administration threatened them with a case. “We haven’t done anything to warrant a case on us,” she said.

Following the protest, the SP assured that they will investigate the case further. The Gudivada Crime Police Station has appointed a Special Investigation Officer and five other technical personnel to investigate the issue.

Andhra Pradesh Mines minister Kollu Ravindra along with the Collector and SP met with the protestors and assured them justice. Responding to the issue, Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said that an inquiry has been ordered and strict action would be taken against those found guilty.