Stripped and shamed: Maharashtra’s Thane school staff arrested for menstruation checks on minor girls

A shocking case of violation and humiliation has rocked a school in Maharashtra’s Thane district, where minor girls were allegedly stripped and subjected to menstruation checks by school staff.

The degrading episode, triggered by the discovery of bloodstains in a washroom, has led to the arrest of the school principal and a female attendant, while four teachers and two trustees have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to the Thane Rural Police, the incident unfolded recently, when sanitary stains were noticed in a girls' washroom. In a move that has drawn outrage from parents and child rights advocates alike, school authorities assembled girls from Classes 5 to 10 in a convention hall and projected images of the bloodstained toilet tiles on a screen.

What followed was nothing short of institutional abuse. The girls were asked to raise their hands if they were menstruating. Those who did were recorded — their names and thumb impressions taken. The remaining girls were reportedly marched into washrooms and stripped for checks, allegedly conducted by the school attendant at the behest of the principal.

One of the girls, whose mother later filed a police complaint, was accused by the principal of lying about her period and was forcefully made to give a thumb impression. “Why are you wearing a sanitary pad if you’re not menstruating?” the principal allegedly asked. The girl returned home in tears, traumatized by the ordeal — as did several others.

On July 9 morning, scores of outraged parents stormed the school, staging a protest and demanding criminal action. “This is not discipline, this is mental harassment and public humiliation,” said one of the mothers who filed the complaint.

Police promptly registered a First Information Report under IPC Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 354B (assault with intent to disrobe), in addition to relevant provisions of the POCSO Act, which deals with offences against children.

A senior police officer confirmed that the principal and attendant, both women, were arrested and would be produced before court on July 10. The other accused — four teachers and two trustees — have been named in the FIR. Investigators are now recording statements from students and gathering further evidence to build a watertight case.