Ratnakar slams Araga over obscene videos of college students

NT Correspondent

Shivamogga: Karnataka Congress leader Kimmane Ratnakar on Wednesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former Home Minister Araga Jnanendra over the posting of obscene videos of college girls by an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leader.

Speaking to reporters, the former minister pointed out, "Araga Jnanendra should answer about these obscene videos. According to my information, the ABVP president has circulated videos of 30-40 girls. Araga Jnanendra should have objected to this. Had a Muslim done it, they would have given a bandh call for the whole of Shivamogga district," he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders have claimed that the accused has no connection with the ABVP or the BJP. "Everyone will maintain the same. I can show the video of Araga Jnanendra flaunting a saffron shawl, visiting colleges and taking up campaigning for the party. Can he refute this? Jnanendra himself had gone with the accused to a degree college. Now, they are claiming that he was not the local president of ABVP," Ratnakar alleged.

Police had arrested an ABVP office-bearer from Shivamogga district on charges of posting obscene videos of college girls on social media. In a statement on Monday, the police said the accused Pratik Gowda is the president of the ABVP’s Thirthahalli unit. But, later BJP maintained that he was not the president or an office-bearer.

The videos contained footage of him getting intimate with several college girls, the police said, adding that he was arrested on Sunday and taken into judicial custody. The members of National Student Union of India have approached the Superintendent of Police S Mithun Kumar over the circulation of videos and demanded action against the accused and other members of ABVP.

The police stated that the accused is charged of filming nude pictures and videos of the gullible college students and blackmailed them. ABVP members have also asked the police to initiate action against the accused. The members also informed the police that they received reports of harassment of girls by the accused using the name of the organisation.