A routine Glasgow City Council planning meeting took an unexpectedly awkward turn on Tuesday, leaving attendees – and now the wider world – in stunned disbelief.
Labour councillor Hanif Raja inadvertently broadcast a deeply personal moment to his colleagues and potentially a public audience when he walked off-camera, still connected to the Zoom call, and headed to the bathroom.
The incident unfolded as the council discussed a planning application for a battery storage system. Councillor Raja, seemingly unaware his camera remained live, was captured walking into his bathroom and beginning to undress.
A quick-thinking fellow councillor intervened, asking, “Are you aware that your camera is live?” The question visibly startled Raja, whose face froze on screen before the feed abruptly cut out, replaced by a colleague struggling to contain laughter.
Councillor Raja later explained the incident as an unfortunate accident, attributing it to a medical condition. He stated he has diabetes, requiring frequent bathroom breaks, sometimes hourly, even throughout the night.
“I do apologise,” Raja explained to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “It happened, the button was pressed, and I didn’t notice.” He emphasized the necessity of these breaks due to his health needs.
The incident sparked immediate reaction online, with a clip of the event quickly circulating on social media. The footage prompted a mix of amusement and disbelief.
Glasgow City Council responded by temporarily removing the webcast recording, promising to edit it – without altering the substance of the discussion – before reposting it.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the challenges and potential pitfalls of remote working, even for those in positions of public trust. It’s a moment that will undoubtedly be remembered for its sheer unexpectedness.
Raja, who has represented Pollokshields since 2012, hopes the incident will be understood in the context of his health needs and accepted as an honest mistake.
