Girl candidates forced to remove innerwear in order to sit for exam can never be forgotten in the history of India.
An NTA (National Testing Agency) controversy began when girl students from Kerala’s Kollam District appeared for NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) on Sunday and accused an examination center which making them remove their innerwear before entering the examination hall. But the National Testing Agency denied the accusation of the girl whose father first went to the police. The exam center superintendent of NEET in Kollam said that the complaint is filed with wrong intentions and is fictitious to National Testing Agency.
Rules for entry into the examination hall
National Testing Agency 2022 brochure states that the candidates are not allowed to wear shoes, clothes having light colour and long sleeves, slippers, and sandals with low heels were allowed. Restricted items include pencil boxes, pens, text material on paper, plastic pouches, scales, calculators, erasers, pen drives, log tables, and writing pads. Earphones, mobile phones, watches, health bands, goggles, wallets, cameras, and bracelets. NEET advisory also restricted any metallic items/ ornaments which are categorized into the dress code of females and males.
The controversy began after the father of a 17-year-old girl told the media that his daughter was taking her 1st ever NEET exam and was yet to recover from the trauma of sitting in a three-hour examination without a bra, he alleged that the girl was asked to remove her bra when its metal hooks beeped at the security check at Mar Thoma Institute of Information Technology, the exam center.
The security personnel at the examination centre asked “Future or innerwear is big for you? So just remove them and don’t waste time”.
The complaint claimed that around 90 percent of girl candidates had to remove their inners and they kept them in a store room.
Higher Education Minister of Kerala R Bindu wrote to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for seeking strong action against the agency which is involved in allegedly forcing girls to take off their bras before allowing them for the examination. R Bindu expressed “shock and dismay” and called “naked assault to the dignity of girl candidates” who appeared in the NEET examination.
The case has been registered by Kerala police against those who took the security checks and asked girl candidates for taking off their innerwear.
Two teachers who were in charge of conducting the exam were arrested today, 21st July in the NEET harassment controversy in Kerala which increase the total number of suspects in custody in this case to 7. Earlier 5 persons including 2 college staff were arrested in this controversy on Tuesday for forcing the girl candidates to remove their innerwear for attending the NEET on17th July. 3 arrests were made from the agency which was entrusted with conducting the examination of the National Testing Agency.
Once I was asked to remove my shoes and socks in the month of December and appear barefoot for State Public Service Examination when the temperature is around 4 to 5 degrees Celsius and I did that for a 2-hour-long examination.
