NCW exposes BJP's 'fake news factory' in K'taka

NT Correspondent

Mangaluru: National Commission for Women (NCW) member Khushbu Sundar, who's also a BJP leader, said a thorough probe is necessary into the alleged video shooting of a girl in the washroom of a paramedical college in Udupi, before jumping to conclusions or giving it a communal angle.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The BJP's mega fake news factory in Karnataka stands exposed by a BJP person—none other than a Member of the National Commission for Women."

Sundar arrived at the college on Thursday and is scheduled to hold a meeting with the college management, the victim and the students involved in the incident as part of her enquiry into the incident. She also dismissed the claims of “hidden cameras” in the washroom of the college, saying there is no truth to it.

Sundar, who arrived in Udupi on Wednesday, told reporters after a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Vidyakumari and superintendent of police Hakay Akshay Machhindra that no concrete evihdence has been found even after extensive efforts by the police.

The investigations are continuing and a comprehensive enquiry is needed.

The NCW and the police have found no evidence yet, she said, adding that until concrete evidence is found, a charge sheet cannot be filed. Right wing's 'misinformation' game The right-wing activists went on overdrive when the police tried to question one Rashmi Samant, whose tweet alleged that the college incident was part of an “Islamist conspiracy” and that videos of the incident were being circulated and had gone viral.

Although the police couldn’t probe her, because she wasn’t at home at the time of the police visit, several right-wing activists were affronted by the fact that Samant was questioned. Udupi’s BJP MLA Yashpal Suvarna landed at Samant’s residence in solidarity.

BJP leaders, including Karnataka state unit president Naleen Kumar Kateel and BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, came to Samant’s defence, while also accusing the Congress government in the state of acting in a partisan manner and leading a social media campaign containing misinformation, exaggerations, and communal remarks against the suspended students and the Muslim community in general.

On Tuesday, BJP leader CT Ravi while replying to a tweet, posted, "I am not surprised that the Congress government is using police to strangle the truth. It has been the practice of Congress to silence truth that tries to expose its agenda."

Later, another BJP leader, Amit Malviya slammed the Congress government.

The Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) social media handles also alleged that the incident was a form of “jihad” while giving a communal spin to the whole incident.

College Director Rashmi Krishna Prasad said the three students were “pranking” someone else and the girl was videographed inadvertently.

They reportedly deleted the video in front of her. "The girl who was videographed has given in writing that she does not want to register a complaint. However, we brought the incident to the notice of the police,'' she said.