MP: Police-aspirants allegedly harassed in jail, made to undergo pregnancy-test
Nine women protesting for reforms in police recruitment were arrested in Bhopal, but what allegedly happened next was traumatic. They have claimed they were forced to undertake pregnancy tests in jail without their consent. When they were undergoing it, male personnel peeped inside to look. The opposition Congress has lashed out at the government, but police insist there was no harassment.
Why were the women arrested?
The women were arrested from the Lal Parade ground Wednesday during CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan's program. They were demanding implementation of relaxation in height requirements for joining police. Last year, Chouhan had assured them they would be given relaxation of 3cms from the mandatory 158cm, they claimed. Had the relaxation been implemented, they would have been selected, but now had been rejected, they said.
A candidate elaborates on what happened in jail
Their experience in jail was traumatic. "We were treated like criminals," said Anju Bhadoria, one of the candidates. "Police lodged us in a van which drove around Bhopal for three hours. Our phones were taken away." "In jail, we were taken for a 'urine test,' but we knew it was a pregnancy test. Most discomforting moments were when male personnel peeped into the room."
Opposition lashes out at the government
Slamming the police and government, MP Congress campaign committee chief Jyotiraditya Scindia said, "The government which talked of women's welfare is now suppressing their voices with muscle power." Deepti Singh, Congress leader, termed it "inhuman treatment," saying, "The girls were bachelors, there was no need for a pregnancy test and it should not have been carried out without their consent."
Police, jail authorities deny allegations, said treated women with sympathy
Police have vehemently denied the allegations. "Police treated them with sympathy. Action like arrest and sending them to jail was taken in accordance with law," said DIG Dharmendra Choudhary. Jail Superintendent Dinesh Nargawe asserted medical examination was done "as per norms and there was no question of presence of any male staff." MP BJP spokesperson Deepak Vijayavargiya also backed police.
