Bathinda University Sacks Two Guards, Two Wardens as Students Protest Strip-search in Hostel

Reportedly,  the varsity authorities had initially called it a small mistake but terminated the services of the employees after a furore.

Bathinda: Girl students at Akal University here in Punjab have been protesting for days now after girls in one of the hostels on the campus were allegedly asked to strip by the warden who wanted to check who was menstruating and could have dumped a used sanitary pad in the toilet.

Two security guards and two wardens have been terminated. Dean academics M S Johal has reportedly confirmed that the services of the two wardens and two security guards had been terminated.

Reports say as many as 600-700 students had been protesting against the incident. Reportedly,  the varsity authorities had initially called it a small mistake but terminated the services of the employees after a furore. Yet, they did not take any legal action.

The students have accused the university authorities of delay in taking action against the four employees. They also alleged that the general atmosphere on the campus is extremely conservative where male and female students are not allowed to even talk to each other.

A leading daily quoted a student protester as saying, “We have been standing firmly against the wardens and authorities and demanding legal action against them.”

Last year in November, some schoolgirls in a village were allegedly frisked and made to strip uniforms by women teachers in their classroom on the same pretext; to catch menstruating girls who could have dumped a used sanitary pad in the toilet.

At the Talwandi Sabo varsity, wardens of the university girls’ hostel found some soiled sanitary pads in the toilet and allegedly
stripped over 12 residents with help of two female security guards.