Even as the administration of a noted Pune school denied allegations that its staff had strip-searched several female students on suspicion of copying during the ongoing HSC exams, State Education Minister Vinod Tawde on Monday ordered a thorough probe into the incident.
The Education Minister met with Pune legislators Neelam Gorhe (Shiv Sena) and Medha Kulkarni (Bharatiya Janata Party), both of whom submitted memorandums demanding stern action against the administration of the Maharashtra Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Vishwashanti Gurukul in Pune’s Loni Kalbhor area, an HSC exam centre where the incident reportedly occurred.
“Safeguarding the modesty of our students is always a priority… the culprits behind the appalling incident at MIT, Loni centre will be dealt with the strictest of force by the law,” Mr. Tawde tweeted.
The school, run by the MIT educational establishment, is in the eye of a storm following complaints from several students last week who alleged that the female security staff forced them to remove their clothes in washrooms to make sure they were not carrying chits or notes which could be used for copying during exams.
Earlier in the day, members of the Sambhaji Brigade met with the Deputy Director of Education and demanded that the licence of MIT Vishwashanti Gurukul be revoked.
“This sort of overzealous vigilance is shocking… several students were reportedly strip-searched in this manner on suspicion of cheating. This not only resulted in loss of valuable time during the exams, but also caused them unimaginable trauma,” said Santosh Shinde of the Sambhaji Brigade.
Around 250 students are giving their HSC exams at the Vishwashanti Gurukul – which is an exam centre for the first time.
Following complaints by some students, two female security personnel were booked under sections 354 (sexual harassment) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) by the Loni Kalbhor police on Saturday last week.
However, the school Principal, Virendra Bawaskar, categorically denied the charges made by the complainants, alleging that the complainant students and their parents were doing this to “get back” at his staff for not “permitting cheating” to take place at the examination centre.
Mr. Bawaskar further claimed that one of the complainants was in possession of chits and that the search was conducted in presence of a female constable.
