Several times in the past, the National Testing Agency’s frisking policies have come under fire on social media. This time, two incidences were recorded from Maharashtra and West Bengal during the NEET- UG 2023 exam. Students, parents, and social media users have all expressed their displeasure with the incidents.
Some applicants said that they were instructed to remove their clothes or wear it inside out during the NEET- UG 2023. Some even described how the authorities asked them to exchange clothes with their parents. Candidates who took the NEET-UG 2023 exam reported on social media and have now filed a formal complaint with the authorities, a few students even bought clothes from local stores to comply with the National Testing Agency’s dress regulation.
The National Testing Agency has received a number of student complaints. Taking note of the situation, the NTA stated that it will send “extensive instructions” to exam centre workers to be cognizant of the sensitivities inherent in frisking female candidates. According to certain social media posts by medical school applicants, their bra straps were checked and their inner garments were asked to be opened. According to a Times of India report, a female in an examination centre was asked to remove her kurta and wear it inside out.
According to the report, a doctor pair stated that the style is undesirable and that it is not a proper way to treat students because it has the ability to disrupt students mentally while they are taking such a key examination. An applicant from the HMC Education Centre in Hindmotor, Bengal, reported his experience on social media. He claimed that during the exam, numerous candidates were requested to change their pants or open their underwear. The candidate stated in his article that “a number of female students had swapped their jeans for their mother’s leggings…” Because there were no cages or shops around the centre, “girls had to change their dresses in an open playground alongside boys, with their parents surrounding their children to protect them,” he wrote.
The student further said that other students entered the examination hall wearing only their pants. However, the principal of the HMC Education Centre in Hindmotor, Bengal, dismisses such incidents. She stated that certain kids were not following the dress code and were thus instructed to modify their apparel. While a parent representative stated that in primary school, inexperienced instructors are used as invigilators, such incidents occur.
