Outrage as Shahapur school forces girls to undress for menstrual check

Principal, employee arrested after parents storm school, allege emotional trauma, child rights violation

- Anamika Gharat

A school in Shahapur, in Thane district, is at the centre of public outrage after allegedly forcing students from Classes 5 to 10 to undress for a humiliating and deeply invasive menstrual check on Tuesday. The incident took place after bloodstains were found in the school's bathroom.

The principal, Madhuri Gaikwad, and the employee who inspected the students were arrested on Wednesday.

After the students returned home, shaken and frightened, enraged parents stormed the principal's office on Wednesday, prompting local police to intervene, to calm raging tempers. A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against the principal, teachers and some staffers.

The incident took place on Tuesday, between 10am and noon. According to a complaint filed by one of the parents, principal Madhuri Gaikwad allegedly summoned students from Classes 5 to 10 to the school's main hall. There, she projected photographs of bloodstains found on the walls of the school’s changing room and the floor of the washroom.