Minor girls in a Maharashtra school, between classes 5 and 10, were reportedly forced to strip and examined by teachers to check if they were menstruating after blood stains were found in the institute’s bathroom, sparking anger among parents, said the police.
The incident took place on Tuesday when the principal called several girl students, mostly from classes 5 to 10, to the school hall and showed them pictures of blood stains found on the bathroom floor, reported taken by the housekeeping staff.
The principal then ordered the students to separate into two groups: those who were menstruating and those who were not. A female peon was asked to check some girls, aged between 10 and 12, who said they were not menstruating.
The peon allegedly touched their undergarments during the checks and found one girl, who was using a sanitary napkin, but was found in the group of girls who said they were not menstruating. Following this, the principal humiliated her by scolding her in front of other students and staff.
After learning about the incident from their children, angry parents gathered outside the school to stage a protest. On Wednesday, they filed a complaint against the school management.
A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act has been registered against six people, including the school principal, a peon, two teachers and two trustees. The school principal and peon have been arrested, while the police are investigating the other four.
“The school principal and one peon have been arrested in the case, while the case is ongoing against the others,” said a senior Police officer from Maharashtra Police.
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