Bengaluru: A private school in northern Kerala suspended four teachers on Tuesday after allegations that they asked a female candidate to remove her bra before entering an examination centre citing rules that disallowed metallic items. Meanwhile, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) that conducts the exam said the incident was a case of “overzealousness" of some school staff.

Sunday’s incident at TISK English Medium School in Kannur where the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) was held, had triggered a furore in the state, with chief minister Pinarayai Vijayan terming it a case of human rights violation and ordering criminal proceedings against the school.

According to a report on the NDTV website, teachers conducting the checks had allegedly told the 18-year-old student that it was to prevent cheating at the examination. Another student, the report said, was asked to change her jeans.

Also read | NEET 2017: Controversies and complaints from students in plenty day after exam

In a statement, CBSE which conducts NEET termed the incident “unfortunate" and said it was “apparently due to consequence of few overzealous female frisking staff". “CBSE has advised the school principal to tender an unconditional apology to the candidate. The agony and inconvenience caused to the candidate inadvertently is deeply regretted by CBSE," the statement said.

The CBSE has detailed guidelines on dress codes and an extensive list of prohibited items including big buttons, brooches, ornaments and metallic items.

The Kerala human rights commission on Monday booked a case against the school. The leader of the opposition from Congress party Ramesh Chennithala, expressed concerns and called for a unanimous condemnation of the incident by all legislators.

On Tuesday, activists of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) led a protest march to the school. The school had initially denied the allegations.

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