Two Individuals Detained at CMR College in Hyderabad for Voyeuristic Activities
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Hyderabad, Jan 5 (NationPress) The Cyberabad Police have apprehended two individuals hailing from Bihar on charges of voyeurism at CMR College, which has been the center of protests after female students reported being secretly recorded in the hostel bathrooms.
The arrested individuals, Nanda Kishore Kumar and Govind Kumar, both aged 20, were caught peering into the women's washroom. Employed in the hostel mess, they resided in a room adjacent to the ladies’ washroom.
Additionally, the police have charged the chairman, director, principal, and two hostel wardens of CMR College with negligence.
N. Koti Reddy, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, stated that the accused, Nanda Kishore Kumar and Govind Kumar, admitted to their wrongdoing. Both have been placed in judicial custody, with the investigation ongoing.
The charges against them include sections under the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): 77 (voyeurism), 125 (endangering personal safety through negligence), 49 (abetment), 239 (withholding information about a crime), and section 11 (sexual harassment) in conjunction with 12, 16, and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The police reported that KV Dhanalaxmi and Allam Preethi Reddy, serving as wardens in the CMR girls' hostel, exhibited negligence when the victimized girls alerted them about the situation. The wardens failed to prioritize such a critical incident, intentionally neglecting to escalate the matter to law enforcement or the victims' parents. They even attempted to dismiss the issue, making derogatory remarks towards the victims, thereby compromising the dignity of those affected.
The college officials, including Principal Varahabatla Anantha Narayana, Director Madireddy Janga Reddy, and Chairman Chamakura Gopal Reddy, pressured Dhanalaxmi and Preethi Reddy to minimize the incident's exposure to protect the institution's reputation, yet showed no inclination to report the matter to the appropriate authorities, which encouraged the accused to exploit the situation for voyeurism, the police indicated.
Officials from the college also facilitated accommodations for the male suspects next to the girls' hostel bathrooms, posing a significant threat to the privacy and safety of the minor victimized girls.
The DCP noted that the erratic behavior of Dhanalaxmi, Preethi Reddy, Anantha Narayana, Janga Reddy, and Gopal Reddy contributed to enabling Nanda Kishore Kumar and Govind Kumar to commit their offenses.
