PROTESTS erupted in the Kollam district of Kerala as the authorities forced a 17-year-old girl student, appearing for the NEET examination to remove her innerwear. The incident occurred on July 17.  The examination was held at the Marthoma Institute of Information and Technology, in Aayoor. The father of the student told about this indecent behaviour of the examination conducting authorities to the media.  The police said a case has been registered under IPC Sections 354 and 509 of the IPC. Five persons, including staff members in the examination centre and three from an agency that conducted the exam, were taken into custody in connection with this humiliating incident.

The college authorities claimed that it has nothing to do with the incident as the persons frisking the students were sent from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and were not assigned by the college.

According to the parent, the NEET exam notification has not mentioned such search procedures. He said his daughter has been preparing for the exam since she was in the 8th grade. My elder daughter is a medical student. She had attended the NEET exam but had never faced any kind of trauma.

"After completing a primary search, my daughter was asked to remove her inner wear because the metal detector has found some metal in her innerwear. When she refused to comply, she was told that she won't be allowed to appear for the exam, thus forcing her to do so. After the humiliating experience, she lost all confidence. Her hard work has been wasted. We don't think the exam will be conducted again and probably my daughter may not make it," he said.

He said the girls were taken to a separate room where they were asked to remove innerwear. "Our children were forced to write the exam under such painful circumstances. It is mental torture. I don’t know when my daughter will recover from the trauma," he added.