Washroom incident: K'taka HM Parameshwara says govt not taking filming in college toilet lightly
Bengaluru, July 28: Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Friday said the government has not taken the incident of filming in a washroom in an Udupi college lightly.
As the BJP intensified its agitation in the coastal district, Parameshwara said the opposition party was interpreting his statements in a different way, which was improper.
"We have a responsibility. We, the one tasked with running a government, will not take it lightly. We have a responsibility but these people (BJP) are interpreting it in different ways, which does not look proper," Parameshwara told reporters here.
Three girls were booked for filming their classmate in the washroom at a paramedical college in Udupi 10 days ago. On Friday the three students were granted conditional bail by a court.
The BJP on Friday held a protest march and staged a sit-in demonstration in Udupi against the three girls who filmed a fellow classmate in the washroom on their mobile phone.
The party even demanded that the case be handed over to the National Investigation Agency for a detailed investigation.
BJP's Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole said fellow party member and National Women's Commission member Khushbu Sundar might have "misunderstood" the case.
He was referring to Sundar's statement that no hidden camera was found.
"Some goof up happened when Khushbu had come. When she went to the college, there was no hidden camera there. None of us had ever said that there was a hidden camera in the toilet. Someone gave her wrong information, which is a systematic mistake'," Gantihole claimed.
The party alleged that the Congress government was taking the issue lightly and wanted to cover it up.
The BJP MLA Yashpal Suvarna who too took part in the agitation alleged that this was not a simple case of girls filming the video in the toilet.
"We have information that these girls shared the videos from their phone to some people," he claimed. These girls should be taken in police custody," Suvarna told reporters.
Meanwhile, High Grounds police have arrested a BJP worker Shakunthala H S for her tweet targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Quoting the Congress party's tweet that the video was an "innocent act of children", she took a dig at the Chief Minister.
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Hundreds fall ill after suspected sewage contamination in Jaipur locality
Jaipur (PTI): Hundreds of residents of the Sushilpura area here have fallen ill over the last week, allegedly due to sewage contamination of the drinking water supply, sparking a health scare.
Several residents have reported similar symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, nausea, and fever, with children and the elderly among the worst affected. Locals claim the crisis has impacted nearly every household, forcing many to rely on water tankers or buy packaged drinking water.
Pooran Mal Kumawat, a resident, said his family has been unwell for several days.
"We have all been suffering from diarrhoea and weakness. My wife even had to take injections," he said.
Another resident, Janki Saini, said the situation has become increasingly difficult. "All three of my children are suffering from stomach pain and fever, and we are arranging water from outside," she said.
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Jagdish Sahu, who has spent thousands of rupees on medical treatment so far, highlighted the financial burden caused by the crisis.
"My mother and I are unwell, and I had to take my son for treatment. We are buying water daily, which is adding to our expenses," he said.
According to the residents, the problem began after road construction work in the area allegedly damaged underground pipelines, leading to sewage mixing with drinking water. Overflowing drains and broken streets have further worsened conditions, they said.
Dr Anil Mehta, in charge of a nearby government dispensary, said over 150 patients with similar symptoms have been treated in the last three days alone. Private practitioners in the area have also reported a surge in such cases.
Civil Lines MLA Gopal Sharma, who visited the area multiple times following protests by residents, said efforts were underway to resolve the issue.
"The government and administration are working hard to find a permanent solution at the earliest, and officials have been directed to restore the clean water supply," he said.
Sharma added that teams from the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and the health department have been deployed, and relief measures such as the distribution of medicines and water supply arrangements are being carried out.
However, former Congress MLA Pratap Singh Khachariyawas alleged negligence on the part of the authorities and questioned the decision to undertake road work.
"If the road was in good condition, why was it dug up? Damage to sewer and water lines due to such work has led to this crisis," he said, warning of protests if the issue is not resolved soon.
Residents, meanwhile, said tanker supply remains inadequate despite assurances, and contaminated water continues to be used for non-drinking purposes.
Authorities said efforts are on to repair damaged pipelines and ensure safe drinking water, even as the health department continues to monitor the situation closely.
