NCW Fumes After Gujarat College Asks Girls To Remove Underwear To Check If They Were Menstruating

The National Commission for Women has set up an inquiry committee which will meet the students of a college in Gujarat who were reportedly forced to strip to prove that they were not menstruating. According to media reports, 68 undergraduate hostellers were paraded through the college into the restroom and forced to individually remove their undergarments to prove that they were not menstruating.

The commission has also sought an explanation from the trustee of Sahjanand Girls' Institute College, Pravin Pindora and the principal Rita Raniga for this "shameful exercise", an NCW statement said. The college comes under Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kutch University. The NCW has set up an inquiry team, which will meet the girls of the institute and inquire about the incident.

“The NCW has also appraised the Kutch University in-charge Vice Chancellor Darshna Dholakia and the DGP of Gujarat, Shivanand Jha (IPS) to look into the matter thoroughly and report to the Commission at the earliest on their action taken report,” the statement added.

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According to Ahmedabad Mirror, the incident took place after the head of the hostel complained to the principal that some of the girls have been violating religious norms during their menstruation.

The college is run by followers of Swaminarayan Mandir and was set up in 2012. Menstruating women are not allowed to enter the temple and kitchen premises as per the norms of the sect. Hostel inmates of the college are also not even allowed to mingle with each other.

One of the students told the newspaper that the girls were forced to leave their classrooms and queue up outside. “The principal abused and insulted us, asking which of us were having our periods,” she added. “Two of us who were menstruating stepped aside. Despite this, we were all taken to the washroom. There, female teachers asked us to individually remove our undergarments so they could check if we were menstruating.”

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Another student said most hostel residents belong to remote villages.

(With PTI inputs)