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Row after women told to take off innerwear at Kerala NEET centre
According to NEET (UG) 2020 guidelines, “any ornaments/metallic items” are banned at examination centres. The guidelines do not describe the nature of such items in detail
Reports that girl students appearing for the National Eligibility- cum- Entrance Test (NEET) held on Sunday at a centre in Ayyur, 55 km from the Kerala capital were forced to remove their bras for security reasons have shocked the nation. Parents are up in arms, the state police have launched an investigation, and the Kerala education minister has said she will take up the matter with the National Testing Agency.
The NTA said that it has taken note of the incident and will take appropriate action.
The incident, at Marthoma Institute of Technology in Ayyur would have likely gone unnoticed if not for a complaint by the father of one of the girls. Police said that though many girls faced a similar treatment they were not willing to complain out of shame. “We have recorded the statement of the father and girl who complained. We will record statements of more,” said Deputy SP V Vijayakumar who is investigating the complaint. He said a case will be registered soon.
Officials at Marthoma Institute of Technology in Ayyur claimed their employees were not involved . “Two agencies were assigned for frisking and noting biometric attendance. Their staff carried out the whole process. Our role was only to provide space and other infrastructure,” said an official of the college who asked not to be named. He said 520 students appeared for the test and after the examination some girl students came to the college officials and complained about “adamant behaviour of some of the women staff (conducting the exam)”.
“My daughter was in tears after she came out of the examination hall. She was preparing for the examination for a long. She was forced to remove her bra after the metal detector beeped. Shocked, she was not able to write the examination properly,” said the agitated father from Kollam who filed a complaint with the rural SP.
Kerala higher education Minister R Bindhu termed the incident “inhuman and shocking” and the state human rights commission has directed the Kollam rural police superintendent to inquire into the incident and submit a report in two weeks. “We condemn the treatment meted out to girl students in a college in Kollam. We will inform the union government and the National Testing Agency about this,” said Bindu.
The state’s women rights commission registered a case. “It is a most despicable act. We will seek explanation from all concerned including NTA and act accordingly,” said commission member Shahida Kamal.
The NTA later issued a statement, saying that upon receiving the report about the incident, immediate comments of the Centre Superintendent and the independent observer as well as the City Coordinator, Kollam district were obtained. “All three of them have inter alia, stated that they did not find any such incident happening in the centre. The candidate did take the examination. There was no representation/complaint to any one during or immediately after the examination. Nor has NTA received any email/ complaint in this regard,” the agency said.
It added that NTA’s dress code for NEET does not permit any such activity alleged by the parent of the candidate.
“The code provides for ensuring the sanctity and fairness of conducting the Examination, while observing sensitivity towards the Gender/Religious/ Cultural/Regional sensitivities involved in frisking/ biometric of candidates,” the agency said.
According to NEET (UG) 2020 guidelines, “any ornaments/metallic items” are banned at examination centres. The guidelines do not describe the nature of such items in detail.
The father said many girls were forced to remove their bras. He said the removed bras were placed on a bench in a class room and many found it difficult to trace them from the heap. “It was an insulting and humiliating experience,” he said, adding that women invigilators insisted that the girls do this.
“It is a blot on Kerala. Criminal proceedings should be initiated against the security agency and college. The college cannot wash off its hands like this,” said women activist Dhanya Raman.
Many student outfits organised protests outside the college in Ayyur. Police resorted to mild baton charges to disburse a group of Kerala Students Union activists when they tried to enter the college forcibly.
