Female Students Forced to Remove Underwear
An incident reported from Gujarat's Bhuj shows there is a long way to go before all stigmas related to periods are quashed. Watch the video for all the details.
An incident reported from Gujarat's Bhuj shows there is a long way to go before all stigmas related to periods are quashed.In a shocking episode, 68 students of a college were forced to remove their underwear to "prove" they weren't menstruating on 13th february 2020. Let me tell you what happened. In Bhuj, Guajarat there is a college named Shree Sahajanand Girls Institute (SSGI), which is run by followers of Swaminarayan Mandir. The college offers B.Com, B.Sc., and BA courses, and has 1,500 students. Of them, 68, who come from remote areas, stay in a hostel.The college has strict rules under which menstruating girls aren't allowed to "touch" others or enter the kitchen.But last week, the hostel administration complained to Principal Rita Raninga that some of the menstruating girls not only "mingled" with others, but also roamed in the kitchen and campus.
One of the students said that, "We were attending a lecture, when all the students were forced to queue up outside in the passage. The principal abused and insulted us, asking which of us were having our periods. Two of us who were menstruating stepped aside," she said.Despite this, they were taken to the washroom, forced to strip to "confirm" they weren't on periods.Another student, said the principal and trustees constantly insult them over this issue. It's like the girls are punished for having periods.When the students complained to Trustee Pravin Pindoria about this, he replied that the students can take legal action, but will have to vacate the hostel.
PP also forced students to sign a letter claiming nothing happened.Another Trustee, PH Hirani told the daily that since the college shares campus with a temple, girls are expected to follow strict rules.Leelaben Ankola, the spokesperson of the Gujarat State Women Commission (GSWC) said, "I spoken with the Police Commissioner and DSP Kutch regarding the matter. I have ordered them to carry out an investigation regarding the shocking incident."
