Four teachers suspended for asking girl to remove innerwear for NEET

Four women teachers who are believed to have asked a girl to remove her top innerwear before entering the classroom to write the NEET entrance exam at a school near Kannur have been suspended for a month by the school authorities. The state police is to probe the incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

The management of the private school in Payanur near Kannur have also started their own probe into what happened on Sunday.

In the state capital in the Kerala Assembly, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan replying to a submission of Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on the incident said he has asked the police to conduct a probe and register a case.

"This arose because of the dress code and we will register our strong protest against the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) to the Centre," said Vijayan.

Cutting across political affiliations, legislators condemned the incident and all sought action be taken against those responsible.

On Monday, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) wrote to the National Human Rights Commission, seeking immediate action against the officials responsible.

KSHRC Acting Chairman P. Mohandas directed that a case be registered and asked the Kannur district police chief and the CBSE Regional Director to submit their report within three weeks.

The incident occurred on Sunday at a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) centre in Kannur district, where a girl told media persons after attempting the entrance exam that she was asked by the examination centre's officials to remove her top innerwear.

Another candidate, who was wearing a pair of jeans, was asked to remove a pocket as well as metal buttons from the clothing. Other girl candidates also complained that they were asked to cut the sleeves of their tops.

The CBSE organised NEET 2017 -- conducted for admission to undergraduate medical courses in government and private medical colleges in the country -- on Sunday in as many as 104 cities across the country, for which more than 11 lakh aspirants had registered.

--IANS

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