India: Probe seeks into `manipulated___ video of Prof. Fathima Babu
Event- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Nov 28, 2018
- Event Description
Both Peoples Watch and Human Rights Defenders Alert - India have strongly condemned the `manipulated' video of Prof. Fathima Babu, convenor of anti-Sterlite coalition that has been circulated since two days, in the social media websites and platforms, which allegedly portrays her in a compromising position with her colleague Mr. Raja, who is also associated with the anti-Sterlite movement. They demanded the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, to sets up an immediate enquiry into this matter and order for an investigation by the Cyber Crime Cell to find out how a spy camera has been fixed exactly at the room where Prof. Fathima Babu has stayed and who has fixed it? And who fixed it ? Who has edited the video to purportedly show Prof. Fathima in a compromising position? and the source of this video They alleged that the video is known to be recorded using a spy camera at a hotel room in the month of October, when Prof. Fathima and her colleagues of the anti-Sterlite coalition travelled to Chennai to attend the hearing before the expert committee of the National Green Tribunal, regarding the case against closure of Sterlite Industries in Thoothukudi this year. The video has been cleverly edited and manipulated to portray Prof. Fathima in a compromising position. They lamented that it was also falsely claimed that the video has been leaked by "Makkal Adhigaram', an organisation which is also working towards the permanent closure of Sterlite Industries in Thoothukudi. "We strongly believe this is a cheap effort taken to divide the anti-Sterlite movement and also to create "caste' conflict within the anti-Sterlite coalition. Makkal Adhigaram has released a statement denying this allegation, and we strongly appreciate their position over this incident", said Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director - People's Watch. "We also strongly iterate the fact that this incident is a gross violation of individual privacy and vehemently condemn this act of scandalising a women human rights defender. It is being alleged that this perverted effort to scandalise and defame a genuine women human rights defender has the handiworks of the business house against whom Prof. Fathima Babu has been working against for decades and also the connivance of the police", he added.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Gender Based Harassment
- Online Attack and Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Women's rights
- HRD
- Academic
- WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Unknown
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Unknown
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Summary for Publications
On 28 November 2018, Prof. Fathima Babu, convenor of anti-Sterlite coalition, has been featured in a manipulated video has been circulated since two days, in the social media websites and platforms, which allegedly portrays her in a compromising position with her colleague Mr. Raja, who is also associated with the anti-Sterlite movement.