India: Blame game ensues, after girl students forced to remove innerwear at exam centre
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A blame game has erupted after an embarrassing incident of girls being asked to remove their innerwear, before entering an exam hall came to light. The incident took place in the Southern Indian state of Kerala, when a private college in Kollam hosted the pan-India NEET Exam for entrance to medical courses, on Sunday 17thJuly.
The issue of girl students' basic rights and dignity being violated came to light after a parent filed a Police complaint regarding the incident. The complaint alleged that officials at the examination centre in Kollam had forced his daughter to take off her inner wear and then go to the hall. This is said to have been the plight of several other girls, as they reportedly had to leave their innerwear behind at a separate room. The complaint mentioned the mental agony faced by the students and how they were allegedly asked by supervisors - "is your innerwear important, or your future?"
Amid protests by various student organizations in Kerala, the state Government has taken up the matter with the Central government and the National Testing Authority, which conducts the NEET exam. Kerala's Higher Education Minister R.Bindu wrote to the Union Education Minister and the Chairperson of the NTA, demanding action and to ensure that such incidents don't recur in future.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also taken cognisance of this incident and written to the NTA to conduct an independent inquiry and take action. The NCW has also written to the Head of Kerala Police (Director General of Police) to conduct an investigation and register a case, besides having to share the action taken within three days.
Meanwhile, NTA is said to have issued a statement mentioning that theCentre Superintendent, Independent Observer and the City Coordinator, Kollam district, did not find any such incident happening in the centre. It was also added that the said candidate did take the examination and that there was no complaint regarding the matter during or after the exam or via E-mail to the agency. Reportedly, the authorities from the private college that was the exam centre denied role of their staff in this incident and alleged that personnel from NTA were involved.
