Bhuj college orders strip search of girl students, woman panels seek action against principal

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Bhuj: In a shocking incident, as many as 60 girl students of the Shree Sahajanand Girls Institute (SSGI) in Gujarat's Bhuj were asked to remove their innerwear to prove that they were not menstruating. 

The National Commission for Women took suo moto cognisance of the incident as reported by the media and set up an inquiry team to visit and speak to the students at the institute in Bhuj. While, the Gujarat State Women Commission (GSWC) ordered the State police to carry out a probe regarding the incident.

It has been reported that the principal, a teacher and a lady staff of the instutute removed the clothes of all the girl students to check which of the girls were menstruating. When the students objected to the strip search, they were told that they will be expuled from the hostel if they do not comply. 

According to the rule of Swami Narayan sect, menstruating girls are served food separately and are also seated separately from the rest of the students. The search was done to check if the students were hiding the fact that were menstruating.

Earlier, the trustees of the institute met with mediapersons and claimed that an internal investigation was being conducted to look into the incident. Stringent action will be taken against the culprits keeping the future of the students in mind, and also taking into consideration the humiliation that the girls had to face.

Further, they said that the principal had confessed to having committed the act and also issued an apology.