Girls Asked To Remove Bra For NEET Exam: Is Our Dignity So Disposable?

In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old girl's father filed a complaint with the police, alleging that his daughter was forced to remove her innerwear in order to appear for her NEET exam at Kollam centre in Kerala. The girl, among other female students, was asked to appear for their three-hour exam without their bras. The National Testing Agency, which holds the NEET examination throughout the country, however, said that they had not received any formal complaint regarding the matter. This is how easy it is to violate women and tamper with their dignity in our country.

The incident took place on Monday when female NEET-UG aspirants at the Kollam examination centre in Kerala were allegedly forced to remove their innerwear during frisking prior to the commencement of the exam. The father of the girl who filed the complaint claimed that his daughter had to borrow her mother's stole during frisking to cover herself. He further alleged that close to 90 percent girls had to remove their bras as the undergarment sounded an alarm when they went through the metal detector.

The father of the student told The Indian Express that his daughter was warned by the officials that she won't be allowed to give her exam if she did not comply to the rules which directed female students to remove their innerwear in order to prevent any misconduct during the examination. "Is your future or innerwear big for you? Just remove it and don't waste our time," he quoted the security personnel in the complaint registered with the police. So far, five women have been detained by the police in connection with the case.

Girls Asked To Remove Bra For Exam: How could this even happen?

How long are we going to take the female dignity for granted? The female students who were subjected to such humiliating treatment must have prepared the entire year to sit in the exam. With all the exam pressure, these students had to deal with the added shame and consciousness of sitting in a crowded room without their bras. Wouldn't this have affected their focus during the exam? However, what makes this incident even more absurd is that there are no existing NEET exam regulations which bar students from wearing clothing with metallic hooks.

This incident could have a lasting repercussion on the students' mental health as well as their future, as being forced to sit without wearing their bras could have potentially affected their focus.

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While the centre and political authorities are taking the matter seriously, they have hardly taken any action to prevent such incidents as this is not the first time such complaints have been received. Back in 2017, four school teachers were suspended for instructing a female student to remove her innerwear before entering the NEET exam hall in Kannur. Even then, the matter was brushed under the carpet with the excuse that no formal complaint can been made to the testing agency.

If the agency itself refuses to take the responsibility of such shameful acts, who is to blame? While five of the accused have been arrested by the police since a probe had been ordered by the Education Ministry, are there any strict measures which may prevent such incidents of happening again. The 17-year-old was brave enough to report the experience to her father and he was adamant to take a serious action against it, but there are so many girls who might be too hesitant to acknowledge the humiliation due to fear of safeguarding their family's reputation. Also, many parents would refuse to take any action if their daughter faced such treatment, due to the 'log kya kahenge' syndrome.

While it is hard to expect a change in society's orthodox mindset instantly, it is important to raise a voice when women are forced to compromise with their dignity else bear repercussions for their career. Unless more women come out and call out such treatment that dehumanises our kind, society will never take our comfort and our careers seriously.

Views expressed are the author's own.