Andhra Pradesh govt orders enquiry over alleged hidden cameras in girl students' washroom

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed in the girls hostels of an engineering college all night in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, as the hostel residents protested, asking the college management to take action on those who had fixed hidden cameras in the washrooms and recorded their nudes.

While the local police ruled out any possibility of hidden cameras, the government on Friday ordered an inquiry into the charges by the girl students.

According to reports, the girl students at SR Gudlavalleru Engineering College near Gudivada discovered a hidden camera in the ladies' hostel washroom, which caused widespread panic among them.

Girls alleged that hundreds of videos were found to have been sent to the boys' hostel, and it is reported that some of the boys had sold these videos on some pornography sites on the dark web.

The entire incident is believed to have occurred with the cooperation of a student from the girls' hostel and some boys from the boys' hostel. Protesting against this, the girls raised the slogan "We want justice" and created a huge stir in the college premises.

The Gudlavalleru police station has registered a case regarding the incident. During their preliminary investigation, the police found no hidden cameras in the girls' hostel.

Police inspected laptops, mobile phones, and other electronic gadgets of students and college staff in their presence. They found no evidence of any wrongdoing.

“The girls should not worry about this issue. Further investigation is in progress. Those who committed this crime will be identified, and strict action will be taken against them,” said Krishna district superintendent of police, Gangadhar Rao.

Mines and geology minister Kollu Ravindra rushed to the college and assured the girls that culprits would be booked.

"I have inquired about the incident of disturbance among students at Gudlavalleru Engineering College in Krishna district. I have ordered an investigation into the allegations of hidden cameras. If the investigation reveals that someone is at fault, strict action will be taken against them. I have directed senior officials to take measures to prevent such incidents from recurring in colleges. College managements should take proactive steps to prevent ragging and harassment in colleges,” said IT and HRD minister Nara Lokesh.

The opposition YSRCP expressed strong disapproval of the camera scandal at Gudlavalleru Engineering College, terming it a heinous act and calling it a 'failure of the government'.

Speaking to the media at the party central office on Friday, YSRCP Spokesperson P Shiva Shankar stated that the placement of hidden cameras in the girls' hostel washroom was a heinous act. He mentioned that this has caused significant distress among the students and their parents, and the education system in the state has been completely destroyed since the coalition government came to power.