NHRC issues notice to Andhra government over ‘hidden camera’ row

Rights panel says it has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that "over 300 photos and videos were allegedly taken from washroom of a girls' hostel of an engineering college"

New Delhi: The NHRC has issued notice to the Andhra Pradesh government and the state’s police chief over reports alleging that a hidden camera was found in a washroom of a girls’ hostel of an engineering college in Krishna district.

The response from the authorities is expected within two weeks, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said. In a statement on Monday, the rights panel said it has sent notice to the Karnataka government and the State’s police chief over reports that recently a hidden camera was allegedly “discovered in the washroom of a popular eatery in Bengaluru“.

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The rights panel said it has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that “over 300 photos and videos were allegedly taken from the washroom of a girls’ hostel of an engineering college in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, with the help of a hidden camera”.

The incident unfolded when a group of students discovered the camera and raised an alarm triggering protest. Reportedly, some students in the boys hostel “bought these videos for which a student is being questioned by the police,” it added.

The Commission has observed that the content of the media reports, if true, raises a serious issue of human rights violation. Such incidents indicate that the authorities concerned have not been able to provide a safe and secure environment to the women, which is a matter of concern, the rights panel said.

The Commission has issued notices to the chief secretaries and DGPs of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, seeking detailed reports, including the status of the FIR registered by the police, the statement said.

The report should also mention the steps taken or proposed by the authorities to ensure that such incidents do not recur, it said.