'I Am Scared, Have I Been Captured In The Videos Shot At Chandigarh University'

I'm a student staying in the same girls' hostel where obscene videos of girls have been leaked.

Women at Chandigarh University are living in fear after a case of alleged obscene videos being leaked surfaced.

(Illustration by Chetan Bhakuni)

I am one of the students at Chandigarh University staying in the same girls' hostel where the shocking incident of obscene videos of girls being leaked happened.

There are rumours that around 50-60 obscene videos of girls have a been recorded. I, along with many of my friends, am living in absolute fear because there have been rumours that several girls have also been recorded while using the washroom. What if I, too, have been recorded?

My parents are also scared and worried. I was thinking of packing my bags and leaving for home away from all this negativity. But now, we've been informed that the university is closed for a few days.

I wish words could explain even one percent of what I and the others are feeling right now. What's even more unbelievable is that this act has been done by one of us, another student living with us. It has become so hard to trust anyone here.

I live in a four-seater room and it has become extremely difficult for me to change clothes or use the washroom. And it is not just me who feels this way, others too are going through these emotions.

We came to know about the incident on the evening of Friday, 17 September, when total chaos took over the hostel, and everyone was in a state of panic. Girls started talking among themselves and the news spread.

Soon, we got to know that a girl student has been caught by the other students for recording their obscene videos.

Later, a confession video of that particular student, who recorded the video, was shared with us. We also got to know that she had recorded the video because a guy from Himachal Pradesh had asked her to do so. 

This is one of the most horrific things I have heard in my entire life. The very first question that came to my mind and is still lingering at the back of it is that did she record me too, when I was taking a bath? What has transpired in the last 48 hours is very overwhelming for us, both emotionally and physically.

We couldn't understand what to do. We started protesting in the hostel demanding strict action against the people behind the incident. The police have arrested three people involved in the issue – a woman and two men from Himachal Pradesh.

On Sunday, the University released an incorrect statement saying, "The rumours of objectionable videos shot of other girls are totally false and baseless." The very fact that we have the confession of the girl who recorded the videos on camera makes the university's claim baseless.

Statement by Chandigarh University.

(Accessed by The Quint)

To protect its name, Chandigarh University is trying to influence the girls who caught the accused and made her confess. The university says that "It has not found any objectionable video of the students except a personal video shot by the girl and shared with her boyfriend." This is also a false claim because one, the girl has confessed and two, another man, apart from her boyfriend, has been arrested from Shimla, in the case.

There is chatter in the hostel regarding the massive racket where obscene videos of girls are being sold and bought. We are terrified by all of this.

We ended our protest last night (Sunday) at around 1:30 am (18 September) when the university agreed to carry a fair investigation and do justice in this issue. But the very fact that the university has tried to water down the issue is worrying for us.

As told to Maaz Hasan

PUNJAB POLICE ON THE ISSUE

On Sunday, the police had confirmed that they had arrested three suspects in the case.

On the orders of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, a three-member all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted, which will conduct a high-level probe into the matter under the supervision of senior IPS officer Gurpreet Kaur Deo, said Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav.

Deo said that the accused woman student appeared to have shared a video of herself with the youth and no other objectionable video of any other student was found.

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