In a shocking incident, girl students of a college in Gujarat were allegedly forced to strip to check if they were menstruating.
As many as 68 girl students of Shree Sahajanand Girls Institute (SSGI) in Bhuj were reportedly paraded through the college into the restroom and forced to individually remove their undergarments to prove that they were not menstruating.
The action was taken to uphold the college rule that bars students from the hostel when they have their period, news agency AFP reported.
The college, Shree Sahajanand Girls Institute, is run by the Swaminarayan sect, which manages lavish temples around the world.
Trying to downplay the incident, the dean of the institute, Darshana Dholakia, told news agency ANI that the matter was related to the hostel and has nothing to do with the college.
“Everything happened with the girls’ permission. Nobody was forced for it. Nobody touched them. Still, an inquiry team has been formed to look into the matter,” Dholakia claimed.
The students have launched a protest demanding legal action against the college.
“We do respect our institution, but what they did was not right. Legal action should be taken against them. We decided to call the media to throw light on the matter,” one of the students was quoted as saying by ANI.
She alleged that the college administration is pressuring them to call off their protest.
“The principal and a few others have called us and tried to emotionally blackmail us. He also told us to give in writing that everything is fine now. We want legal action and not just the apology from the administration,” she said.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo moto cognisance in the matter and has set up an inquiry team, which will visit and speak with the students of the institute.
The Gujarat State Women Commission (GSWC) has ordered the state police to carry out a probe regarding the incident.
Meanwhile, the police has registered a case against three officials of Shree Sahajanand Girls Institute and the hostel supervisor. Two women officers have also spoken to the girl students.