Latest news with #Thane
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Yahoo
Two arrested after school girls in India allegedly made to strip for period check
A school principal and an attendant have been arrested in India after allegations that female students were stripped naked to check if they were menstruating after blood stains were found on a toilet wall. The police action came after the mother of one of the "10 to 15 girls" who were put through the alleged humiliation lodged a complaint. The incident took place on Tuesday in a village not far from Mumbai city. On Wednesday, parents protested at the school, demanding strict punishment against the authorities. In a video, the school principal is seen arguing with angry parents - she denies that she ordered a strip-search or that it took place. Senior police official Milind Shinde told the BBC on Thursday that they were investigating the allegations. The arrested women would be produced in court later in the day, he said. The police complaint names four other teachers and two trustees of the all-girls school in Thane in the western state of Maharashtra. BBC has reached out to the school authorities for a response. In their complaint, police have invoked sections of the law that deal with assault and intent to outrage modesty of women. They have also added sections from the stringent Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. The parents have alleged that all the students from 5th to 10th classes - who would be between the ages of 10 and 16 - were summoned to a hall by the school principal on Tuesday. There, they were shown photos from the toilet on a projector, including that of a hand stain, and those who had their periods were asked to raise their hands. A teacher collected hand prints of all those who did. At least 10 to 15 girls who said they weren't menstruating were then taken to the toilet, forced to strip and went through an inspection. The child whose mother lodged the police complaint has alleged that her daughter, who didn't have her period, was scolded and asked why she wasn't wearing a sanitary pad. Her hand print was also collected. She said her daughter "felt very ashamed" because of what had happened. Some of the parents told the BBC that their daughters were traumatised. "The incident raises serious questions about the safety of our children. Our girls are very afraid. The government should take strict action against the school," one parent said. The mother of one of the students told BBC Marathi that when confronted, the principal denied everything. "But the school didn't have an answer when we asked them whether so many girls could be lying," she said. Banished for bleeding: Tribal women get better period huts Why are Indian women 'Happy to Bleed'? Why are menstruating women removing their wombs? Periods have long been a taboo in India where menstruating girls and women are considered impure and excluded from social and religious events. And incidents of shaming female students have been reported in the past too. In 2017, 70 students were stripped naked at a residential school in Uttar Pradesh by the female warden after she found blood on a bathroom door. In 2020, 68 students living in a college hostel in Gujarat were strip-searched after they stopped reporting their periods to authorities to avoid restrictions which barred them from entering the temple and the kitchen or touching other students. At meal times, they had to sit away from others, and in the classroom, they were expected to sit on the last bench. The regressive ideas are being increasingly challenged by urban educated women, but success has been patchy and women in many parts of the country continue to face discrimination.
The Independent
10-07-2025
- The Independent
Principal arrested after girls stripped for ‘period check' in India school
Police in India arrested the principal and an attendant of a school for allegedly stripping around 10 girl students to check if they were menstruating after blood stains were found inside a toilet. The incident took place in Thane in western India's Maharashtra state when blood stains were spotted in a washroom by the school's staff members on Tuesday. The Thane Rural Police issued a statement confirming that they have taken action against the school authorities after parents of the aggrieved minors staged a protest. The information to the school principal about the stains in the washroom led to the faculty summoning the girls from grade 5 to grade 10 at the convention hall. The students were then shown photos of the blood stains in the toilet and on the tiles, police said. School teachers then asked the students to disclose their period cycles and confirm who was on their periods. The teachers noted down the details of the girls and teenagers who raised their hands and took them to the washroom where they were stripped and checked by the attendants, police said, according to The Indian Express. The principal and the attendant arrested are both women. The students reportedly went home in tears and informed their parents about the disturbing probe by the school authorities. Several parents on Wednesday went to the school and protested against the act. The parents also demanded strict action against the management and teachers. One of the students complained she was asked by the principal about why she was using a sanitary pad when she was not on her periods. The principal then accused the student of lying and forced her to submit a thumb impression, according to the Thane Rural Police. A parent said that the action by the school teachers 'amounts to mental harassment to the girls'. The police have also arrested four teachers and two trustees for the incident and the arrested will be produced before the court on Thursday. All have been booked under relevant sections of the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The investigation is underway and the police officials said they are collecting more evidence from the students. The school principal denied that she ordered a strip-search or that it took place, according to the BBC.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- BBC News
Thane, Maharashtra: Two arrested after school girls allegedly made to strip for period check
A school principal and an attendant have been arrested in India after allegations that female students were stripped naked to check if they were menstruating after blood stains were found on a toilet police action came after the mother of one of the "10 to 15 girls" who were put through the alleged humiliation lodged a incident took place on Tuesday in a village not far from Mumbai city. On Wednesday, parents protested at the school, demanding strict punishment against the a video, the school principal is seen arguing with angry parents - she denies that she ordered a strip-search or that it took place. Senior police official Milind Shinde told the BBC on Thursday that they were investigating the allegations. The arrested women would be produced in court later in the day, he police complaint names four other teachers and two trustees of the all-girls school in Thane in the western state of Maharashtra. BBC has reached out to the school authorities for a their complaint, police have invoked sections of the law that deal with assault and intent to outrage modesty of women. They have also added sections from the stringent Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) parents have alleged that all the students from 5th to 10th classes - who would be between the ages of 10 and 16 - were summoned to a hall by the school principal on they were shown photos from the toilet on a projector, including that of a hand stain, and those who had their periods were asked to raise their hands. A teacher collected hand prints of all those who least 10 to 15 girls who said they weren't menstruating were then taken to the toilet, forced to strip and went through an child whose mother lodged the police complaint has alleged that her daughter, who didn't have her period, was scolded and asked why she wasn't wearing a sanitary pad. Her hand print was also said her daughter "felt very ashamed" because of what had happened. Some of the parents told the BBC that their daughters were traumatised. "The incident raises serious questions about the safety of our children. Our girls are very afraid. The government should take strict action against the school," one parent mother of one of the students told BBC Marathi that when confronted, the principal denied everything. "But the school didn't have an answer when we asked them whether so many girls could be lying," she for bleeding: Tribal women get better period hutsWhy are Indian women 'Happy to Bleed'?Why are menstruating women removing their wombs?Periods have long been a taboo in India where menstruating girls and women are considered impure and excluded from social and religious incidents of shaming female students have been reported in the past 2017, 70 students were stripped naked at a residential school in Uttar Pradesh by the female warden after she found blood on a bathroom 2020, 68 students living in a college hostel in Gujarat were strip-searched after they stopped reporting their periods to authorities to avoid restrictions which barred them from entering the temple and the kitchen or touching other meal times, they had to sit away from others, and in the classroom, they were expected to sit on the last regressive ideas are being increasingly challenged by urban educated women, but success has been patchy and women in many parts of the country continue to face discrimination.
Forbes
03-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Well Protected Are India's Products Of Protected Origin?
THANE, INDIA - OCTOBER 9: Ankush Karande with help of his son make a six-feet long Kolhapuri Chappal ... More out of Italian leather without using any machine, in an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records on October 9, 2018 in Thane, India. (Photo by Praful Gangurde/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) The use of a traditional Indian sandal design by Prada has caused an uproar on Indian social media. While the sandal style is protected under World Trade Organization rules as a geographic indication, the Italian fashion house did not actually break any rules by showcasing a design inspired by the Kolhapuri chappal during the Milan fashion week in June. However, ethical implications are still abound in the case that saw Prada struggle to appease a whole subcontinent. The Kolhapuri chappal features a strap over the foot's arch and one around the big toe, both connected with another thin band. While Prada's design also featured the traditional leather and embellishments, the company did not name its shoe a Kolhapuri chappal nor did it yet have plans to commercialize its haute couture item. Under GI rules, shoes called Kolhapuri chappal can only be sourced from predefined districts in Indian states Maharashtra and Karnataka where the footwear has been proven to have a long artisanal history and therefore can carry a protective designation of quality. This chart shows selected Indian products protected by WTO geographical indication as of 2025, by ... More state/Union Territory. Prada in a statement acknowleged that its sandal's design was inspired by Indian traditional footwear from the aforementioned regions, which according to The New York Times is also permissible under WTO rules. The company said it was open to 'meaningful exchange" with Indian artisans, showing not only how much considerations around cultural appropriation and giving due credit have arrived in the Indian mainstream, but also how global companies have gotten used to taking these concerns seriously. Yet, geographic designations set by the WTO are also proving not very wide-ranging, being significantly weaker than a trademark companies can obtain. Geographical indications are common all over the world, with the best-known examples like Parmesan cheese, Parma ham or Champagne from the French Champagne region hailing from Europe. But India has also protected a number of its culturally significant products using this system. Notably, traditional handicrafts feature heavily among India's protected designations in addition to food products. Parmesan Cheese & The Kolhapuri Chappal Most well-known internationally are probably the Indian GI tags for Darjeeling tea from the state of West Bengal and Basmati rice from several northern Indian states. The latter one showcases another issue often associated with geographical designations—disputes. Pakistan also lays claim to the traditional cultivation of Basmati rice in its regions neighboring India and has applied for a GI tag as well. That Basmati rice traditionally comes from India and Pakistan has already been recognized in some jurisdictions like New Zealand and Australia. India also protects several types of mango, including Banganapalle mango from the state of Andhra Pradesh, as well as the Lasalgaon onion from Maharashtra, the Khola chilli from Goa and Nilambur Teak from Kerala. It has given out GI tags to varieties of grapes, strawberries, beans and pomegranates as well. Concerning handicrafts and textile making, silk and its products are protected in several Indian regions, for example Muga Silk from Assam, Uppada Jamdani sarees from Andhra Pradesh or Banarasi sarees from Uttar Pradesh. But Pashmina shawls from Jammu & Kashmir, Kutch Embroidery from Gujarat, Chendamanglam Dhoties from Kerala and Madhur Kathi mats from West Bengal also fall into this category. More unusual GI tags include Tamil Nadu's Dindigul lock, referring to traditional handmade locks from the city of Dindigul, as well as Goa's Feni spirit made from cashew apples or coconut. Charted by Statista
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Time of India
Maid's 2-year-old burnt, hit to ‘drive out evil spirit', employer couple held
Mumbai: A two-year-old boy was singed and beaten up allegedly by a couple from Bhandup, for whom the child's mother worked as a domestic helper. The toddler has been admitted to hospital with burn injuries on the body, while the couple, who claimed they were into "spiritual healing" have been arrested. The employer, Vaibhav Kokre, and his wife Harshada Gurav, had lured the boy's mother by offering her a better pay than what she used to get earlier. The woman, whose husband has been afflicted with paralysis, and has been undergoing treatment, agreed to work for the couple who are into the business of supplying mineral water, and also run a travel agency. A police complaint lodged by the child's mother at Bhandup police station, Gargi Ganesh Kadam, the employer couple indulged in "physical violence, emotional manipulation, and theft". You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Last Sunday, the couple told the maid to move into their home with her child. Around 3.30 am, the couple woke the maid up to warn her of a "divine revelation" that her husband was plotting to harm her. That's where the maid's ordeal began. She has alleged that she was confined, her cellphone phone was taken away, and she was pressured to file a false complaint against her husband, according to the complaint lodged by the child's mother. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cuối cùng, chơi miễn phí game chiến thuật hay nhất 2025! Sea of Conquest Phát ngay Undo . On Tuesday, the employer couple beat up the toddler to "exorcise evil spirits from him", the police complaint lodged by the domestic helper states. The wife allegedly pinned the child to the floor, yanking him by the hair, singeing him with a burning matchstick, and shouting that the boy was "possessed". The husband joined in, thrashing the child with a stick and a broom. The house help has alleged that the couple took away her mangalsutra worth Rs 34,000., and pawned it. The baby's mother, though "traumatised", left the house early morning and took the child to a doctor before going to the police. The couple, who claimed to work at the Thane Collector's office, are in police custody. They have been booked under sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Maharashtra Prevention & Eradication of Human Sacrifice, Other Inhuman Agori Practices and Black Magic Act 2013.
