Taking action on the complaint filed by a girl who allegedly suffered a humiliating experience at a private educational institute at Ayur, the Police has lodged a First Information Report under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
A day after allegations that young women and girls who appeared for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test were asked to remove their undergarments before being allowed to appear for the examination in Kollam district, the Kerala police booked the friskers.
Taking action on the complaint filed by a girl who allegedly suffered a humiliating experience at a private educational institute at Ayur, the Police has lodged a First Information Report under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
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A team of women officers recorded the girl's statement, based on which a probe was initiated. Police said that the persons who frisked the girl and other candidates would be arrested soon.
The father of the 17-year-old girl had appeared before the media complaining that his daughter sat for three hours, giving her first-ever NEET exam, without a brassiere. The father said that his daughter was dressed as per the dress code mentioned in the NEET bulletin. However, the bulletin did not mention anything about innerwear.
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Other students who were subjected to similar humiliation said that after the exam, they found their undergarments thrown together in containers. The students expressed anguish over having to go through such mental trauma just before taking the high-stakes examination. According to media reports, around 100 young examinees underwent this ignominy.
Meanwhile, the exam centre located at Marthoma Institute of Information Technology in Ayur Chadayamangalam, claimed innocence and blamed third-party agencies for the frisking and biometric checks.
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Various youth organisations staged protests condemning the incident and sought action against the culprits. The Kerala State Human Rights Commission, which has also initiated a probe into the incident, has directed the Kollam Rural Superintendent of Police to file a report within 15 days.
Image: Students coming out from a NEET UG examination centre in Kochi on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo