Protest erupted over suspected video recording as students of a private engineering college in Hyderabad’s Medchal district staged a demonstration following allegations of secret filming in the girls’ hostel washroom. The allegations surfaced after female students reported suspicions that someone had been recording them through the washroom window.
Preliminary police investigations revealed “negligence” on the part of the college management. Reports indicated that workers’ rooms had been constructed directly behind the girls’ hostel, raising concerns about privacy and safety. The incident triggered widespread unrest, with students and members of various student organisations participating in protests on Wednesday night and Thursday.
Students Demand Justice
The protests saw students breaking the lock on the college gate and scaling it to enter the premises, chanting slogans like “We want justice.” Female students expressed fears that videos might have been recorded earlier as well. Authorities reported that five suspects were detained, and their fingerprints collected for investigation. Mobile phones of the suspects, including those belonging to the cooking staff, were seized for forensic analysis. However, no incriminating videos have been discovered so far.
Management’s Response
The college formed a special committee to probe the incident in response to the allegations. A police official confirmed that a case has been registered, and investigations are ongoing. “We are committed to ensuring justice and maintaining the safety and privacy of our students,” a college spokesperson stated.
Historical Context of Similar Incidents
This incident echoes a similar case reported on December 20 in Delhi’s Dwarka area, where a man employed as a housekeeper at a government hospital was arrested for hiding a mobile phone with its camera turned on inside a women’s washroom. According to the police, the accused admitted to recording videos for over a month. The matter came to light when a woman noticed the phone ringing unexpectedly. The device was seized, and a thorough investigation was launched.
Such incidents have brought to light growing concerns about the misuse of technology and the vulnerability of private spaces, prompting calls for stricter surveillance and preventive measures in educational institutions and public facilities.
This latest case in Hyderabad has once again sparked a nationwide debate about women’s safety and the accountability of institutions. The students’ demands for justice underscore the urgent need for structural and procedural reforms to ensure such breaches of privacy are not repeated.