Describing the incident as shameful, the V-C apologised to the students of Rani Laxmibai Girls’ hostel.
As many as 40 students of Harisingh Gour Central University in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar were allegedly asked to take off their clothes during a search to check if they were menstruating after a sanitary napkin was found near the toilet in a girls’ hostel last week. The incident came to light after the girls complained to vice-chancellor Prof R P Tiwari on Sunday and held hostel warden Prof Chanda Ben responsible for their humiliation. They alleged that on March 23, caretaker Indu checked each one of the students as instructed by the warden.
Describing the incident as shameful, the V-C apologised to the students of Rani Laxmibai Girls’ hostel.
Speaking to The Indian Express on Monday, the V-C said, “I have formed a five-member committee to probe into the incident that includes representatives from civil society and two victims.” He added that he had deliberately included the victims so that the inquiry could be conducted in a transparent manner and they could observe the proceedings. The committee has been given three days to submit its report.
Despite repeated attempts, warden Ben could not be contacted. However, while talking to local newspapers, Ben had denied the charges and alleged that someone had hatched a conspiracy to frame her. She said that she usually scolds inmates for littering but had not done anything objectionable. She added that she was not bothered about any probe because she had done nothing wrong. The new hostel accommodates more than 185 students.
Meanwhile, students’ unions protested on the campus seeking action against the warden. Sagar Lok Sabha MP Laxminarayan Yadav described the incident as a small one and had asked the media not to blow it up.