Frisking Horror yet again: Female NEET Candidates Asked To Remove Undergarments, swap clothing

Chennai: In a shocking incident reported from Chennai's Mylapore area, on Sunday, a National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) NEET female aspirant was allegedly forced to remove her bra before being allowed to enter the exam hall which has sparked anger among the aspirants.

The case of girls being forced to remove their bras during the NEET exam had earlier happened last year at an exam centre in Kerala, This time the matter is of an examination centre in Chennai, where during the NEET exam held on Sunday, girls were not allowed to appear in the exam wearing a bra.

Reportedly, the incident took place in Mylapore, Chennai, and has sparked outrage among the public. Around 1.5 lakh students across Tamil Nadu appeared for the NEET exam on Sunday. 

Also read- NEET Frisking Horror: 5 Arrested, NTA Constitutes Fact Finding Committee

The incident has received a huge backlash from aspirants and netizens who criticised the examination centre in Chennai for allegedly harassing them during the examination and the government for not looking after the matter with strict measures.  

The matter was first shared on Twitter by a local journalist who reported she saw a girl sitting in a corner outside the examination centre, huddled in shame and clutching a book to her chest. When She asked the student if she was okay, the student replied that she felt ashamed because she was asked not to wear a bra while writing the exam.  The journalist said that she offered her a shawl, but the girl politely declined it. Later his grandfather came and took him home. 

Although it is not yet confirmed that how many students were forced to remove their bras, according to the journalist, more than half of the students, who appeared for the exam, were asked to remove their bras.

This incident caused a great stir. Many political leaders and academics are strongly opposing this. And some have forced the female journalist who reported the incident to delete her Twitter post.

Last year, a similar incident also came to light from Kerala. These incidents have also highlighted the need for sensitivity training for exam centre staff.

Medical Dialogues team had last year reported a similar incident where female students had to remove their underwear before entering the exam hall at a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) exam centre in Kollam district of Kerala. As a result, five people were arrested in this connection.

The recent incident has gained the attention of state education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi who stated that CM Stalin has already condemned such activities. Mahesh further criticised the practice of checking each student at NEET by taking off their clothes and hairpins, which has been going on for the past three years.

BJP spokesperson Narayanan Tirupati told India Today, "If there is any violation of rules, it should be condemned and the person responsible should be punished. However, he also said that the issue has nothing to do with the exam or its conducting agency NTA."

Meanwhile, the aspirants who appeared for the examination in Maharashtra and West Bengal had to undergo inspection of their bra straps being checked and innerwear was asked to be opened for frisking since their clothing did not adhere to the dress code mandated by the National Testing Agency (NTA). 

In addition, the male aspirants were asked to switch their shirts with their fathers. While some rushed to nearby shops to purchase alternative clothing, some even went inside in innerwear at the last moment because their pants were not allowed.

The incidents were reported on social media by the aspirants who appeared for the examination in these two states.

A doctor couple told TOI, "It came to our notice that girl students in a centre in Sangli (Kasturba Walchand College) were made to remove their kurtas and wear them inside out. This came to our notice when our daughter informed of this after coming out. This is unacceptable and no way to treat students appearing for such an important exam. This action itself mentally disturbs a student before a critical exam.”

A candidate who took the exam from HMC Education Centre, Hindmotor, Bengal, took to social media to report his experience. He said "Several candidates were asked to change their pants or open their innerwear. Several girl students had interchanged their jeans with their mother's leggings. Since there were no enclosures or shops around the centre, and as a result, girls had to change their dresses in an open playground along with boys, with their parents surrounding their children to protect them."

In response, the principal of HMC Education Centre, Sonita Roy, said "Students who came wearing pants with pockets were asked to change as the attire was against the mandated dress code. Some students came wearing pants with pockets. We told them to buy something from the shops and change into our rooms. I was there with two observers...they came with collars. Some had six pockets. I was with my scissors and my team was cutting pockets. If some candidates changed somewhere else, it was outside our gates. We were also told students that if their house is nearby, go and change as there was time till 1.30 pm to enter the exam centre. Candidates were not asked by her faculty or invigilators to change their clothes in the open."

Also read- Female NEET Candidates Asked To Remove Undergarments While Frisking, Human Rights Commission Seeks Report