A second-year student of Bharata Mata College, Thrikkakara, Ernakulam, was taken into custody on Thursday (September 3, 2026) on allegations of digitally morphing pictures of students and teachers and uploading them online.

The Thrikkakara police registered a case against the student based on a complaint by the college management. Principal Soumya Thomas said the student was dismissed from the college after the disciplinary committee confirmed the allegations and handed over his mobile phone to the police. She added that the incident came to light after a former student alerted a teacher about the morphed pictures that were allegedly circulated online.

The incident had created an uproar among the students of the college, who staged a protest on the campus demanding stringent action against him.

The protesting students alleged that the college management had permitted the student to leave the campus with his relatives before informing the police about the incident. They said that a few other students were also involved in sharing the photographs through various online platforms. The police had a tough time controlling the agitating students as they staged a sit-in in front of the college office.

The college authorities said it was up to the police to take further action based on the complaint. “Though the students had alleged that such morphed pictures were available in another student’s digital devices, we could not confirm it,” they added.

The police said a case had been registered under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (acts intended to insult the modesty of woman), Section 67 of the Information Technology Act (publication or transmission of obscene material in electronic form), and Section 119 (1)(b) of the Kerala Police Act (taking, distributing or publishing photographs or recordings in violation of privacy).

A senior police official said a preliminary inquiry had been initiated to verify the allegation. He said further steps would be taken after a detailed examination of the student’s mobile phone and the online platforms on which the photographs were allegedly circulated.