PALAKKAD: The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has demanded strong action against the officials who were responsible for forcing a girl student to remove her inner wear citing the presence of a metal hook when she appeared for the NEET exams at a higher secondary school in Palakkad last Sunday. The girl also complained about a male invigilator inappropriately staring at her during the examinations.
The Commission has demanded that after the invigilator is identified in the presence of the girl complainant and after hearing the version of the official, if the charge is found to be true, strong legal action must be taken.
The acting president of the Commission directed the district police chief to entrust the investigation to an official not less than the rank of a DySP. All the supervisors and officials in the examination hall need to be questioned and a report submitted within one month. The Commission in its direction felt the act of forcing a student to remove the innerwear, for whatever reason, amounted to a human rights violation. The contention it was done on the basis of the orders of the superiors was not tenable and illegal.
The complaint of the girl that the male external invigilator had inappropriately gazed at her during the examinations made the charge even more serious, said the commission.Around 25 students were found to have been subjected to the harassment due to the presence of metal hooks on that day.
On the basis of the complaint of the girl, a case was registered at the Palakkad North police station under IPC Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) against the male invigilator. Meanwhile, Palakkad North station SI R Ranjith told Express they were collecting the documents from the centre coordinator. The reply of the CBSE is also awaited. He said the girl’s main complaint related to the male invigilator staring at her during the examinations and the other issue of removal of the inner wear was related to the rules of the conduct of the exams.