A female student taking the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) medical entrance exam in Kerala was allegedly forced to take off her bra before writing the exam. The shocking incident which took place on Sunday led to the girl’s father filing a police complaint.

Parents protested after the student was asked to remove her innerwear as the metal hooks beeped during a security check. 

The girl was allegedly told by female security personnel to remove her bra, but when she resisted, she was told she would not be allowed to take the medical admission exam.

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“Is your future or innerwear big for you? Just remove it and don’t waste our time,” the girl was told, according to her father’s complaint to the police, NDTV reported.

The Marthoma Institute of Information Technology, where the incident took place, denied any responsibility for the incident.

The Kollam police chief KB Ravi said that there have been complaints that several other girls were forced to remove their underwear.

“After a security check, my daughter was told that the hook of the innerwear was detected by the metal detector, so she was asked to remove it. Almost 90% of female students had to remove their inners and keep them in a storeroom. The candidates were mentally disturbed while writing the exam,” the girl’s father reportedly said.

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In the complaint to police, the father – who has not been identified – said his daughter had seen a “roomful of innerwear that was taken.” Many girls were crying and felt “mentally tortured” following the horrific incident.

“The mental state of these children was disturbed ad they could not attend the exam comfortably (sic),” the father wrote.

During an NEET exam, candidates are asked not to carry stationary and follow a strict dress code, in which wallets, handbags, belts, caps, jewellery, shoes and heels are banned. 

Following the uproar over the alleged humiliating incident, K M Abhijith, President of the National Students’ Union of India state wing, said appropriate action will be  taken against the wrong-doers. The local police have also launched an investigation into the incident.