Police have detained the principal and a staff member at a Thane-based private school after reports that female pupils were forced to strip for a menstruation check today, Thursday, July 10.
An official informed PTI that the incident occurred on Tuesday, July 8, at the school in Shahapur, Maharashtra's Thane district, after bloodstains were discovered in the toilet.
It provoked protests among the girls' parents, who demonstrated on the school grounds on Wednesday, July 9, and demanded action against its management and the teachers engaged in the incident.
The police arrested the school's principal and a female attendant on Wednesday night, alleging that they stripped the students and checked their private parts for menstruation, according to a Shahapur police official.
According to a complaint filed by a parent of one of the kids, the girls, who were in Classes 5 through 10, were summoned to the school's convention hall and shown images of blood spots on the toilet and floor via projector. Students were asked if they were going through their menstrual cycle.
The girls were then separated into two groups. All those who stated that they were menstruating were requested to give their thumb impression to the teachers. However, those who said they were not experiencing it were led to the toilet one by one, with a female attendant inspecting their private parts, according to the complaint.
According to the police, a case was filed against the principal, four teachers, the attendant, and two trustees of the school on Wednesday in response to the complaint.
Rahul Zalte, Additional Superintendent of Police (Thane rural), stated on Wednesday that parents gathered at the school and sought action against the teachers involved after learning that the girls were being subjected to this type of checking.
He added that the accused have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 76 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), as well as relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
