Female university staff were allegedly ordered to photograph their private parts and menstrual pads to prove they were on their period after complaining of feeling unwell.
The incident reportedly took place at Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, India, on Sunday (October 26), after a group of female cleaners were pressured to work faster by male supervisors.
Image credits: MDU Rohtak
The women explained that their slower pace was due to menstrual pain, after which the supervisors allegedly asked for photographic evidence.
“The supervisors said, ‘You click photos of your private parts as proof so that the menstrual cycle can be confirmed.’
“When two of us refused to follow the instructions, we were ab*sed and threatened with dismissal.”
Two of the four sanitation workers claimed that, under pressure, they complied and took the photos in the bathroom, according to a report in the The Indian Express.
Image credits: wayhomestudio
When the other women asked why they had taken the photos, they said they were following the orders of Assistant Registrar Shyam Sundar.
Following the accusations, the university initiated an internal inquiry, stating that “those found guilty will not be spared.”
The incident reportedly occurred after the women explained their slower work pace was due to menstrual pain
Image credits: Getty Images
The university added that “the safety and respect of women are paramount, and that the strictest action will be taken against any form of inappropriate behaviour or misconduct.”
It also reiterated its commitment to “always providing a safe, respectful, and culturally sensitive” work environment.
As the accusations against the supervisors spread through the university, female staff reportedly staged a protest, with students joining in solidarity.
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The chairperson of the State Women Commission is said to have received photo and video evidence of the incident.
“A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the two supervisors,” said Roshan Lal, an officer at a Rohtak police station.
The report includes charges under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for s*xual harassment, assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe and outrage a woman’s modesty, criminal intimidation, and acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
Two of workers complied under pressure, while the others refused
Image credits: MDU Rohtak
The incident has provoked a strong backlash on social media, with many users condemning the supervisors as “perverts” for violating the workers’ privacy.
“They’d get a photograph of my middle finger!” one user wrote.
“Zero respect for women, disgusting!” fumed someone else.
“What a disgusting humiliating invasion of a woman’s privacy,” shared a third.
“Crazy. What if you were off work with diarrhea?” asked a separate user.
Image credits: MDU Rohtak
In a statement, varsity Registrar K K Gupta said one of the supervisors has been placed under suspension “with immediate effect, with prejudice to the pending disciplinary proceedings against him.”
The university added that the supervisors will be immediately dismissed from their jobs if the investigation finds any wrongdoing.
It comes after a student at the Gengdan Institute of Beijing University of Technology in China was asked to pull down her pants to “prove her condition” after requesting sick leave due to menstrual pain.
The university has launched an internal inquiry, promising strict action against anyone found guilty
Image credits: Kateryna Hliznitsova
The student posted a video that allegedly showed her at the campus clinic speaking with a female staff member.
“So what you are saying is, every woman on her period has to take off her pants and show you to get a leave note?” asked the student, as per the South China Morning Post.
“Basically, yes. It is not my personal rule, it is a regulation,” the staff member responded.
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Following social media outrage over the video, the university issued a statement claiming that the worker had acted “in accordance with standard procedures.”
“The clinic staff followed proper protocols. They inquired about the student’s physical condition and, after obtaining her consent, proceeded with further diagnosis. No instruments or physical examinations were used,” the statement read.
A relevant staff member told CNR News that the rule was primarily intended to “prevent the ab*se of sick leave.”
“The world’s gone mad,” one user lamented, while another deemed the supervisors’ alleged behavior “absolutely disgusting”
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