Hyderabad: Cyberabad Police have arrested two workers from Bihar for voyeurism at CMR College, which was rocked by protests after female students alleged that they were secretly filmed in the hostel washrooms.
Police arrested Nanda Kishore Kumar and Govind Kumar, both aged 20, for peeping into the ladies’ washroom. Working in the hostel mess, the accused were staying in a room next to the ladies’ washroom.
Police also booked CMR College chairman, director, principal and two hostel wardens for negligence.
Deputy Commissioner of Police N. Koti Reddy said accused Nanda Kishore Kumar and Govind Kumar confessed their offence. Both were sent to judicial custody. He said the case was still under investigation.
The case was registered under Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 77 (voyeurism), 125 (Endangering the personal safety or human life of others through negligence or rashness, 49 (abetment) 239 (intentionally withholding information about a crime) and section 11 (sexual harassment) R/w 12, 16 and 17 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) ACT.
The police said KV Dhanalaxmi and Allam Preethi Reddy, working as CMR girls hostel wardens displayed negligence when the victim girls informed them about the incident. The wardens did not give priority to such a serious incident, and intentionally avoided escalating the matter to the police or to the parents of the victims. They even tried to suppress the issue, blaming the victims with derogatory comments, thereby insulting the modesty of victim students.
College Principal Varahabatla Anantha Narayana, Director Madireddy Janga Reddy and Chairman Chamakura Gopal Reddy pressurised Dhanalaxmi and Preethi Reddy to contain exposure of the incident so as to protect college’s reputation but did not show interest in reporting the incident to competent authority at any point of time, which emboldened and abetted the accused to take chance at voyeurism, the police said.
The college officials named as accused also provided accommodation to the male accused near the girls’ hostel washrooms giving easy access, and a serious threat to the privacy and safety of the victim minor girls.
The DCP said the abnormal behaviour of Dhanalaxmi, Preethi Reddy, Anantha Narayana, Janga Reddy and Gopal Reddy abetted Nanda Kishore Kumar and Govind Kumar to commit the offence.
(IANS)
