By: Ishita Goel
September 20 2022
False: Three students are admitted to the ICU after the Chandigarh University video leak.
Share Article:
Fact-Check
The Verdict False
Reports state that a few girls who fainted were given medical aid and discharged. None were admitted to the ICU.
Claim ID 57a1e870
Context:
Over the last weekend, Chandigarh University witnessed massive student protests and media scrutiny over claims that videos of 60 female students residing in the girl's hostel allegedly went viral. It was claimed that a female student recorded videos in the hostel showers, shared them with an outsider and that the videos were uploaded on the internet. Amid the protests the police used lathi charge over some incidents of stone pelting . The protest continued on September 18 but have now been called off.
Misleading and false information surrounding the incident has gone viral on social media. One such narrative follows that three students were admitted to the ICU after the Chandigarh University video leak. This claim connects the rumor that hostel students attempted suicide and that one or two of them had died. A video accompanying this claim shows an unconscious woman being carried to an ambulance. However, there are no direct statements or reports to support the claim.
In fact:
The police, the university, and other concerned officers have denied the claim that female students of the university attempted suicide. On September 18, Chandigarh University released an official statement on the incident. Dr. R. S. Bawa, Pro-Chancellor, Chandigarh University, said, "no girl has been admitted to hospital in the incident."
The police told Hindustan Times on September 18, "a couple of girls fainted and were taken to a local civil hospital, from where they were discharged after a couple of hours." An officer said one girl fainted due to the agitation and was taken to the hospital. Student Welfare Head Amrinder Singh Kann spoke to India Today and clarified that due to the rumors, one or two students fainted, but with the primary aid, they are "fit and fine". The Hindu reported that Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vivek Sheel Soni referred to the video of a woman being taken in an ambulance and said: "she had some anxiety problems and was fine."
Hindustan Times reported that ADGP Gurpreet Deo said the apprehended student's phone had been confiscated and sent for forensic investigation. The preliminary investigation found the girl had shared her own video with someone known to her. Further, the video was not shared on any site, but it was shared with three others. It was deleted by the two and soon deleted by the third person, reported Hindustan Times.
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav tweeted that three arrests have been made. NDTV reported that the accused girl, her boyfriend, a resident of Shimla, and another man, who works at a bakery and whose role is not clear yet, were arrested. They were produced in Mohali court and sent for seven days in police remand. According to several news reports, the student has been arrested in a case under Section 354C pertaining to voyeurism under the IPC and Section 66E of the IT Act. The police are also verifying the stance that a man was blackmailing the accused girl.
As the case is under investigation, Chandigarh University has been shut for classes until Saturday, September 24. Few students have left home with their parents following the closure. Further, on September 19, the Chandigarh University administration suspended the girls' hostel warden Rajvinder Kaur for alleged misbehavior with students, reported NDTV.
The verdict:
From the statements made by the police and official university sources, it is clear that no student was admitted to the ICU. Several students were admitted but were discharged after medical aid. Officials have clarified that baseless rumors of student deaths were spread at the university. Hence we have marked this claim as false.
