Bathinda: Wardens strip female students to 'check' sanitary pads
In a shocking incident, around a dozen female students of a private university, Akal University, in Bathinda (Punjab) were forced to strip their clothes for allegedly dumping a used sanitary pad in the hostel's washroom. The authorities have terminated the services of two wardens and two security guards responsible for the incident, after around 600-700 students went on a strike. Here are the details.
No legal action taken against the four responsible
Two days ago, the wardens of the girl's hostel carried out a search exercise to check who dumped a used pad in the toilet. During the search, the female students were stripped with the help of lady security guards on duty. Although the accused have been fired, the authorities didn't take any legal action and had initially described the incident as a 'small mistake'.
Students report delay in action by the authorities
On their part, the students claimed there was a delay in action from the University's side. "We have been standing firmly against the wardens and authorities and demanding legal action against the wardens," the students who were protesting against the incident said. MS Johal, University's Dean, Academics, said that the four involved were fired as they forced the hostel residents to face "unwanted behavior."
Campus atmosphere conservative; male, female students not allowed to talk
Moreover, the students have also alleged that the atmosphere inside the University premises is extremely conservative. Notably, male and female students are not even allowed to talk to each other inside the campus. Meanwhile, this case is not a first of its type. Earlier in November 2018, a similar incident was reported from a government school in the Fazilka district of Punjab.
15 students were stripped to check who was wearing pad
In the previous incident, 15 girls of Class VII were stripped by the female teachers to find out who was wearing a pad as a used sanitary pad was found inside the school's toilet. Subsequently, the two teachers involved were transferred.
