Gujarat hostel forcibly removes girls’ underwear to check menstruation

The incident occurred on February 13 at Shri Sahajanand Girls’ Institute (SSGI) in the Bhuj district of the southwestern Indian state.

The incident reportedly took place after the hostel rector complained to the principal that menstruating students were violating “religious norms.”

The 68 girl students were then paraded from the college to the hostel restroom, after the warden accused them of venturing into the temple on the college premises and touching fellow students. At the washroom, every girl was asked to prove she was not menstruating.

The college is affiliated to the Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kachchh University, which has said it will take action.

The institute claims that it believes in providing “quality education of global standards on a strong foundation of Indian values and traditions to girl students based on current advances in science, technology and societal demands.” It also places “emphasis on commitment progress, peace, harmony and national integration”.

Founded in 2012, the college is managed by the Swaminarayan Dwisatabdi Medical and Charitable Trust and currently has more than 1,500 students.

The Swaminarayan sect’s norms state that girls, when menstruating, cannot enter a temple or kitchen. At the institute, girls are reportedly also barred from touching other students during those days.

According to a student, the hostel administration leveled the allegation on February 12. The next day, rector Anjaliben called the principal and complained about the girls violating norms. The girls were called out from their classrooms and 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.”

Despite this, she added, they were all taken to the washroom where “female teachers asked us to individually remove our undergarments so they could check if they were menstruating.”

Some other students alleged that such harassment had happened even earlier.

When the students protested, trustee Pravin Pindoria told them that they could take legal action but would have to leave the hostel first. The students were also allegedly made to sign a letter claiming that “nothing had happened in college.”

The girls haven’t filed a police complaint so far. They alleged that the administration called their parents and “emotionally blackmailed” them into not escalating the matter, with the authorities maintaining that this was a “religious matter” that didn’t warrant being taken to the police.

Asked to comment on the matter, trustee P.H. Hirani, told the Ahmedabad Mirror: “We run a charitable organization and take token fee. As the institute has a temple on campus, the girls have been instructed to follow the sect’s rules. However, what happened to the students is unfair. Action will be taken.”

Darshana Dholakiya, the Vice-Chancellor in-charge, said, “We will take strict action against whoever is responsible for this kind of behavior.”

Source: theprint.in