Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday led political leaders, social activists and educationists in condemning the strip search carried out during the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination in the state on Sunday.
Taking a strong view of the incident, the State Human Rights Commission registered a case in connection with the strip search during the exams. It has issued notices to the CBSE regional director and district SP asking them to submit reports within three weeks. It has also sent a letter to National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking action against CBSE.
In a Facebook post, the chief minister said that a civilised society should not enforce such disgusting decisions. The norms were enforced in such a manner that it wrecked the mental state and confidence of candidates who had come to take such an important examination.
He said a series of allegations had surfaced in connection with the NEET exams. The officials had forced the candidates to remove their dress and ornaments. Those wearing full sleeves had to cut these into half sleeves.
Girl students were forced to change their undergarments as they contained buttons having metallic parts.
Kannur MP P.K. Sreemathy condemned the incident and demanded a probe. “Action should be taken against those responsible for it and we should also make sure such incidents do not happen in future,” she added
The Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights decided to probe the incidents that led to the ‘stripping’ of candidates, including girls for the NEET at a centre in Kannur. Commission chairperson Shobha Koshy told DC that she would seek a comprehensive report on the incident. Sources at the CBSE regional office in Thiruvananathapuram said that they had not received any complaint regarding excesses in the name of security check at the NEET examinations. The tests were being directly conducted under the supervision of the headquarters, they added.
The instructions to schools that functioned as NEET centres were also issued directly from Delhi. Moreover, complaints if any are to be addressed to the Delhi office, an official at the regional CBSE here said.
The TISK English Medium School management, where the alleged incident of innerwear removal happened, backed the staff who were on duty saying that they had followed only the instructions. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Principal Jamaludheen said that there was nothing wrong with the staff in following the instructions. "Whether it is outerwear or innerwear, if the metal detector identifies the presence of any metal in students’ body, they are not allowed to get inside," he said.
