Rajasthan woman denied permission to breastfeed child during college exam
Nirmala Devi, a resident of nearby Bassi, was appearing for a supplementary exam for history at SS Jain Subodh PG Girls’ College on Friday between 7am to 10am.
A 23-year-old woman in Rajasthan’s Jaipur was not allowed to breastfeed her eight-month-old baby by authorities in a college during an examination on Friday, her husband said.
Nirmala Kumari, resident of a village nearby Bassi, was appearing for a supplementary exam for history at SS Jain Subodh PG Mahila Mahavidyalaya on Friday between 7am to 10am.
Her husband Kalu Ram Bairwa, 23, and their infant daughter were waiting outside as she wrote the exam.
Bairwa said their daughter started to cry out of hunger while he was waiting for his wife. He said he requested the on-duty guard to let him inside the premises where examination was being conducted so that he could get permission for his wife to breastfeed the child.
“As soon as the guard let me inside premises, I saw a woman inside whom I guessed was a lecturer and asked her if I could get in touch with someone to get the permission. She said that this is not allowed in the college and asked me to leave,” said Bairwa.
“Some other lecturer standing nearby told me that the woman who asked me to leave was a senior authority of the college and I will have to leave if she has said so,” he added.
Bairwa then left the exam premises waited outside and his daughter could meet her mother only after the exam finished at 10am.
The college principal Dr. Pramila Joshi however said that the college acted as per the rules and the vice principal acted very sympathetically with the child and her father. “The rule says that the examinee cannot meet anyone after the exam is started. Moreover, no one from outside the exam hall can meet the examinee during the exam. We followed the rules and hence we are not at fault,” said Joshi.
Recommended Topics