Kelzang Wangchuk | Samdrupjongkhar

Police in Samdrupjongkhar arrested three men on October 10 for allegedly circulating an inappropriate video online.

They were, however, released from custody on bail.

The issue began as a case of attempted suicide, in which a man reported that his wife had attempted suicide on the night of October 9. The husband rushed the victim to the hospital.

When police interrogated the victim, it was revealed that she attempted suicide after finding a video of her in revealing clothing going viral online.

The 30-year-old woman told police that the short video clip could have been recorded in 2017 when she was in a relationship with a man before getting married.

Police then called the 29-year-old suspect and detained him, as he had asked the victim to remove her clothing and he recorded it without her consent.

According to sources, the 29-year-old suspect confessed that he had recorded the video, but claimed that it was a friend who used Facebook on his mobile phone who had shared the video with other friends through its Messenger app.

It was learnt that the suspect told police that he had not circulated the video intentionally.

Police also detained the suspect’s friends who allegedly shared the video.

The case was registered as lewd and lascivious conduct as per the Penal Code of Bhutan.

According to the Penal Code, a defendant should be guilty of the offence of lewd and lascivious conduct if they perform a sexual act in a public place under circumstances where the defendant knows it may be observed by the public and causes the public affront or alarm.

It also stated the defendant should also be guilty of the offence if the defendant sells, manufactures, issues, distributes, displays, or otherwise deals in obscene material.

Edited by Tashi Dema