Udupi Police under fire for not registering case against Rashmi Samant's false claims
Police have booked YouTube channel, one user for spreading fake news on Udupi incident
Udupi: The District Police is facing criticism for not registering a case against self-proclaimed Hindu rights activist Rashmi Samant for spreading fake news related to the viral video of a student in a Udupi college restroom.
The Malpe Police sub-inspector has taken the initiative and filed an FIR against the administration of Nethra Jyothi Paramedical College and three students allegedly involved in the incident. Additionally, cases have been registered against One India YouTube Channel for disseminating fake news, as well as against one social media user who shared it. However, Rashmi Samant has not been booked in the case, prompting questions from the public about the reason behind this omission.
ALSO READ: Fact Check: How self-proclaimed Hindu rights activist is spreading false claims on Udupi incident
Rashmi had tweeted on her account that the three accused students, who were Muslims, had placed hidden cameras in female restrooms at their college to record hundreds of unsuspecting Hindu girls. She further claimed that the recorded videos and photos were circulated within community WhatsApp groups by the perpetrators.
Let me tell you, many of the girls who were featured in the videos are depressed and disturbed to the extent that they are contemplating self-harm/suicide. Yet, this issue is not being condemned with the severity it deserves.
— Rashmi Samant (@RashmiDVS) July 23, 2023
If you have one last bone of conscience left in you, talk about what happened to the Hindu girls in Udupi so that they don't dare to mess with our girls again.
— Rashmi Samant (@RashmiDVS) July 23, 2023
In response, Udupi SP Hakay Akshay Macchindra called a press conference to address the case and declared Rashmi's claims as false. He clarified that the accused students and the student in the restroom were acquaintances and that the video was filmed as a prank. The police found no evidence of hidden cameras in the restroom, refuting Rashmi's claim.
As the incident gained communal undertones due to Rashmi's tweets, the police debunked this notion as well. SP Macchindra emphasized that the student in question was neither harassed nor blackmailed by the accused or anyone else. Furthermore, the claim made by Rashmi regarding the mental state of several girls due to similar incidents was contradicted by the local police, who stated that the incident was isolated and involved only one girl. The college chairperson also confirmed that no such incident had occurred before in the college, labeling Rashmi's claims as baseless.
Rashmi Samant, a native of Udupi district, had faced previous controversies due to her social media posts being labeled anti-Semitic, racist, and transphobic. Consequently, she was forced to resign from her position as President of the Oxford University Students Union within just five days of her election in 2021.
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Trump rushed out of dinner event after shots fired; one arrested
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump and other top White House officials were evacuated unharmed from the annual dinner of White House correspondents after a man armed with multiple weapons fired shots outside the ballroom of the hotel.
The incident took place at around 8:34 PM local time when dinner was served. At that time, Trump was seen having a conversation with Weijia Jiang, the President of the White House Correspondents' Association, and mentalist Oz Pearlman, who was scheduled to present a show at the marquee event at the Washington Hilton here.
Secret Service officials and other security personnel covered the President, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J D Vance, and the Second Lady Usha Vance, who were seated at the head table, and escorted them out of the ballroom.
Several guests at the dinner, including leaders across the political spectrum, journalists and other invitees, ducked under the table, apparently as a reflex reaction.
Putting up a brave face, President Trump later announced on Truth Social that the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom is all that I heard, and many guests ducked under the table,” a C-SPAN reporter at the dinner said.
Hours later, Trump addressed a press conference at the White House and announced that the security personnel had captured one person who hails from California.
“I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray going down. I've heard that many times. It was a pretty loud noise, and it was from quite far away. He (the attacker) hadn't reached the area at all. They really got him,” Trump told reporters, recalling the incident.
Trump said one security officer was shot at but saved as he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Several protestors had lined up on the road outside the hotel, raising slogans against the Trump administration and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A CNN reporter who was outside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton said he saw a gunman opening fire just a few feet away. He was among the dozens of attendees who took cover as law enforcement swarmed the venue.
The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from California.
Asked how Saturday’s incident impacts him as the US president, Trump told reporters he is in a dangerous job but that he is no “basket case.”
“I like not to think about it. I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it’s a dangerous life. I think I handle it as well as it can be handled,” Trump said.
Trump has survived two assassination attempts over the past two years – first at a presidential election campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and later in Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
“I will say you had Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives...everybody in that room, big crowd, record-setting crowd,” he said.
“We had some great work done by law enforcement, but in light of this evening's events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our differences peacefully,” Trump said.
