A group of women students, residing in one of the hostels of Dr Hari Singh Gour University in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, allege that they were strip-searched by hostel warden after a used sanitary pad was found lying in the hostel premises, reported ANI.
The girls of the hostel complained to the Vice Chancellor on Sunday, 25 March alleging that the caretaker and the warden searched them to ascertain which of the girls were menstruating and had not disposed the sanitary napkin properly.
Taking cognizance of the matter, RP Tiwari, Vice Chancellor of Dr Hari Singh Gour University apologised to the students and assured them that action will be taken against the warden, if found guilty.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, student wing of the RSS, and other unions staged a protest on Monday, 26 March, with ABVP leader Jyotish Pandey asking authorities to keep the warden away from work till the probe was completed.
The leader of Congress' student wing National Students Union of India (NSUI), Rahul Khare, submitted a memorandum to the university administration demanding that retired judges and other eminent persons be appointed to the probe committee instead of university teachers.
In order to raise awareness among teachers, they also distributed sanitary napkins to them.
BJP MP Laxminarayan Yadav called the alleged action of the warden as "shameful", but added that it was a "small incident" and the media should not get "agitated" over it.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, the Vice Chancellor had earlier said that he had spoken to the warden, but she denied the allegations. However, within three days the committee (inquiring the matter) will submit its report and action will be taken.
Meanwhile, the hostel’s caretaker and the warden have denied any such incident, the report added.
(With inputs from ANI, Hindustan Times, PTI and India Today.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)