Chirawa shuts down over trial-room video incident at clothing showroom

JHUNJHUNU: Chirawa town in Jhunjhunu district remained closed Tuesday as traders and residents observed a shutdown to protest an incident in which a woman was allegedly filmed secretly in the trial room of a clothing shop, Jamjam Collection. Protesters demanded strict punishment for the accused. The protest reflected widespread community outrage over the violation of privacy and women’s safety.

Markets across Chirawa stayed shut from the morning as members of Hindu organisations, social activists, trade association office-bearers and representatives of various communities gathered at Gandhi Chowk. The meeting decided to form a Sangharsh Samiti to plan further strategy on legal and social steps related to the case.

Trade association member Rakesh Bachhuka said the shutdown was completely successful and thanked traders and the public for their support. He said future action would be decided through the committee, which would remain in contact with the administration and work on effective legal advocacy in court.

Police said the investigation has been intensified and the arrested accused, identified as Shahrukh, is being questioned. A cyber team is examining his mobile phone and has found multiple objectionable videos and photos during initial checks, officials said, adding that they are probing whether other women were filmed and whether any material was shared with others. The team is also working to recover deleted data.

During inspection of the showroom, police found a small hole in the ceiling of the trial room, which they said was allegedly used to record videos from above using a mobile phone. Police said the case is being investigated from all angles and stringent legal action will be taken.

The alleged incident occurred Saturday at the Jamjam Collection showroom. When the woman became suspicious, she raised an alarm and called the police, after which the police arrested the accused Shahrukh, who worked at the shop.