An incident in Kollam, where students attending National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), were asked to remove innerwear, has evoked much public outrage and strong condemnation from from all quarters.
Kottarakara police have initiated a probe into the incident after one of the students filed a complaint on Monday. The incident took place at Mar Thoma College Of Science and Technology, Ayur, on July 17 after metallic hooks were detected in the innerwear of some girls during the screening. As per the complaint, many girl students were asked to remove their innerwear if they wanted to attempt the exam, causing severe emotional distress.
According to parents, the girls were unable to focus on the test, as they were subjected to mental torture just before the examination. Since they were not comfortable writing the exam in that condition, many candidates were reportedly crying after the test.
The parents also said that this ill-treatment had affected the performance of students, who had been preparing for the exam for long. Reportedly, the girls were not given a chance to put on the innerwear after the exam and were asked to do that outside the campus.
“According to college authorities, their staff were not involved in the issue, as private agencies selected by National Testing Agency (NTA) were in charge of frisking and recording the biometric attendance of candidates. At present, only one candidate has filed complaint and if more parents or students come forward, action will be taken after collecting their statements,” said a police official. Following the incident, various students and youth organisations took out protest marches to the college while both Kerala State Human Rights Commission and State Youth Commission have registered suo motu cases and sought reports from the police.
Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister R. Bindu condemned the incident calling it a violation of human rights. “The frisking was done by the agencies assigned to conduct the examination and they have committed a huge mistake. The mental harassment will surely reflect in the exam results. Such an act without even considering basic human rights is totally irresponsible. The displeasure of the State government in the incident will be conveyed to the Central Ministry and we will also demand measures to prevent such incidents in the future,” she said.
