RAJKOT: Despite outrage over the treatment of stripping girl students to check if they were menstruating, trustees of the Bhuj-based Shree Sahajanand Institute, who framed the archaic admission rules for hostelites, seem to have been let off.
On Friday, the police had lodged an FIR against principal Rita Raniga, coordinator Anita, peon Nayna and hostel supervisor Ramila who had stripped the girls in the washroom last week, which later exposed the monthly ordeal of nearly 68 hostel girls. However, none of them have been arrested despite being booked for outraging modesty of women and other serious charges.
Police, however, have not named trustee Pravin Pindoria in the FIR lodged on Friday last week despite one of the girl complainant telling cops that they did not get any satisfactory response from him when approached after the stripping incident.
Superintendent of police Kutch (west) Sourabh Tolumbia was not available for comment. A member of special investigation team (SIT), police inspector R N Khant said, “We will add more names as investigation progresses.”
Pindoria plays victim, blames sole parent
In fact, when TOI spoke to the Pindoria on Sunday, he didn't even express any guilt over shaming the girls and treating them as 'outcasts' when they had periods.
The girls were forced to live inside the basement and sleep on cement blocks, taking their own makeshift bedding. This was just one of the strict rules they had to follow when menstruating.
Far from being apologetic, trustee Pravin Pindoria played the victim and claimed that the issue got media attention just because of parents of one girl student.
“After being stripped, the girls came to me and said they had no complaints. They had also admitted to their mistake (of not following the rules during periods), but parents of one girl approached media, which defamed the institute,” said Pindoria, who has been the former vice-president of BJP’s Kutch unit and is the executive council member of Kutch university.
When asked if they were so firm on the rules why were three staff members suspended, Pindoria said, “We took action to placate the aggrieved persons and give out a message that they should not hurt the girls in the future.”
Until Friday, the college trustees were adamant that the rules of the sect should be followed strictly by all the girls living in the hostel. The hostel used to provide sanitary pads to the girls and also provided the machine for destroying the used pads.
However, after meeting NCW team on Sunday, he did a volte face and said, “The rules to be followed during menstrual cycle are only from girls belonging to Swaminarayan sect who also follow the same rules at home.” However, the victims said that flaunting his political connections Pindoria had earlier threatened them with dire consequences if they sought any legal action.
On Friday, the police had lodged an FIR against principal Rita Raniga, coordinator Anita, peon Nayna and hostel supervisor Ramila who had stripped the girls in the washroom last week, which later exposed the monthly ordeal of nearly 68 hostel girls. However, none of them have been arrested despite being booked for outraging modesty of women and other serious charges.
Police, however, have not named trustee Pravin Pindoria in the FIR lodged on Friday last week despite one of the girl complainant telling cops that they did not get any satisfactory response from him when approached after the stripping incident.
Superintendent of police Kutch (west) Sourabh Tolumbia was not available for comment. A member of special investigation team (SIT), police inspector R N Khant said, “We will add more names as investigation progresses.”
Pindoria plays victim, blames sole parent
In fact, when TOI spoke to the Pindoria on Sunday, he didn't even express any guilt over shaming the girls and treating them as 'outcasts' when they had periods.
The girls were forced to live inside the basement and sleep on cement blocks, taking their own makeshift bedding. This was just one of the strict rules they had to follow when menstruating.
Far from being apologetic, trustee Pravin Pindoria played the victim and claimed that the issue got media attention just because of parents of one girl student.
“After being stripped, the girls came to me and said they had no complaints. They had also admitted to their mistake (of not following the rules during periods), but parents of one girl approached media, which defamed the institute,” said Pindoria, who has been the former vice-president of BJP’s Kutch unit and is the executive council member of Kutch university.
When asked if they were so firm on the rules why were three staff members suspended, Pindoria said, “We took action to placate the aggrieved persons and give out a message that they should not hurt the girls in the future.”
Until Friday, the college trustees were adamant that the rules of the sect should be followed strictly by all the girls living in the hostel. The hostel used to provide sanitary pads to the girls and also provided the machine for destroying the used pads.
However, after meeting NCW team on Sunday, he did a volte face and said, “The rules to be followed during menstrual cycle are only from girls belonging to Swaminarayan sect who also follow the same rules at home.” However, the victims said that flaunting his political connections Pindoria had earlier threatened them with dire consequences if they sought any legal action.
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