Asked us to remove undergarments as proof of periods: Bhuj college girls allege harassment

Bhuj, February 14: In the times when menstruation taboos are being busted with global campaigns, at least 68 female students and hostel residents of a college in Gujarat's Bhuj were allegedly forced to strip to check who was menstruating. This came after the hostel warden complained to the principal that some of them were violating religious norms during their menstruation.

The incident took place when the Shree Sahajanand Girls Institute's principal Dr Rita M. Raninga reportedly paraded 68 girls from their classrooms to college washrooms amidst their lectures to check whether they were menstruating or not. However, no police complaint has been filed so far, but a committee has been formed to investigate the matter.

The dean of Shree Sahajanand Girls Institute said the girls were not forced to take off their undergarments. "The matter is related to the hostel. It has nothing to do with the university or college. Everything happened with girls' permission, nobody was forced for it. Nobody touched them," Darshana Dholakia said, according to news agency ANI.

The college comes under Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kutch University. It is run by followers of Swaminarayan Mandir in Bhuj, and is set up inside the premises of Shree Swaminarayan Kanya Mandir.

The hostel warden had alleged that some girls were entering the hostel kitchen and mingling with other hostelers while menstruating.

This came after a hostel warden complained that some girls on their periods had entered the college kitchen and ventured near the temple.

According to the institute's rules, females on their periods are not allowed to enter the kitchen or venturing near the temple. They are also not allowed to touch other students, Ahmedabad Mirror reported. The college has over 1,500 students including 68 from remote villages who stay in the hostel.