Chandigarh Hostel Video Leak: 3 Arrests, An All-Women's Team Takes Charge

After massive protests by students demanding action on the alleged leak of objectionable videos from its girls' hostel, the Chandigarh University administration today suspended the girls' hostel warden Rajvinder Kaur for alleged misbehaviour with students. The university has also been shut for students till Saturday.

On directions from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, a three member all-women Special Investigation Team under the supervision of senior IPS officer Gurpreet Deo has also been formed to probe the incident, Punjab's Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said. Appealing for peace and urging people to avoid rumours on social media, the top cop in a video assured that the privacy and dignity of everyone concerned will be respected.

The hostel warden, who was seen in a viral video confronting the arrested girl who has been accused of allegedly sending the videos to men outside the university, reportedly didn't inform police about the matter immediately. She also allegedly scolded the girls when students started the protest.

Three people have been arrested in the case so far. The accused girl and her boyfriend, a resident of Shimla, were arrested following massive protests by students. Twenty-three-year-old Sunny Mehta works at a travel agency. A second man, who works at a bakery, has also been arrested. His role is not clear yet.

All three were today produced in Mohali court, where they were sent to seven days in police remand.

Students ended their protest early morning today after the district administration and police assured them of a fair and transparent investigation into the allegations.

Cops told NDTV last evening that only four videos have been found in the phone of the woman student accused of taking and releasing obscene videos of girls at the hostel university in Punjab's Mohali. But all these are of this woman which she sent to her boyfriend, Mohali's top police officer Navreet  Singh Virk said. There has also been no suicide attempt at the university, as is being claimed by the protesting students. The videos they claim are being circulated, are yet to be found, he added.

The students at the Chandigarh University have refused to accept the police findings that there is no prima facie evidence that the student had taken obscene videos of other women at the hostel bathroom.

Protests had erupted on the campus of the university over "rumours" that around 60 videos of several women students were recorded. Students claimed that the administration was trying to cover up the cases of suicides.

Cops have repeatedly claimed there were no suicide attempts and that they have so far not found any other videos except for the accused's own recordings sent to her boyfriend. 

The university, in an official statement, has also said that no "objectionable video was made of any students except a personal video shot by a girl, which she shared with her boyfriend".

"All the rumors of objectionable videos shot of other girl students are totally false and baseless," RS Bawa, Pro-Chancellor, Chandigarh University, had said.