KOLKATA: The West Bengal higher education department has removed certain clauses from a notification posing questions regarding the normal functioning of ovaries and uterus during medical examination and personal antecedents of employees proposed to be appointed to any post of state-aided universities and colleges. The decision to scrap the clauses was taken following a large-scale protest by teachers’ bodies.
The schedule 1 of the prescribed verification roll of the notification dated February 24 and gazetted on February 27 wanted to know whether the candidate is ‘‘originally a resident of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal or any other country’’ which the irked teachers’ unions found a reflection of Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
‘‘This echoed the motive behind the CAA, which casts doubts on the status of all citizens in India. This notification was the curtailment of the autonomy of institutions and we protested such imposition,’’ said Partha Pratim Ray, the secretary of Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association. Referring to the details to be filled up for medical verification, Ray said they were insulting. ‘‘What does the functioning of a candidate’s ovaries and uterus have to do with teaching abilities? This demeans women,’’ he said. The notification stated that all categories of employees of state-aided universities and colleges shall invariably be required to undergo complete verification.
The clarification
Sources in the state higher education department said the clauses were mentioned in the notification much before the CAA was introduced. ‘‘The education department decided to remove the clauses,’’ said an official of the department.