Rahul Gandhi protests 'pregnancy tests for female students' in Maharashtra hostel row

Rahul Gandhi has intervened in the ongoing hunger strike by tribal students in Maharashtra, urging Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to address their grievances. In a letter, Gandhi detailed the students' concerns, which stem from what he described as undignified rules and barriers to education.

A central issue is a new rule barring individuals over 30 from government hostels, impacting many tribal students from remote villages who rely on these facilities to pursue their studies in cities. Gandhi also pointed to the generally poor conditions within these hostels, citing a lack of adequate food, sanitation, and medical care, which have reportedly led to injuries and even deaths, including from snake bites.

“

I was shocked to learn that female students returning after an extended absence must undergo pregnancy tests and a range of other medical tests, to prove their “fitness”. It is a humiliation that presumes them guilty until they prove otherwise. This rule is an attack on their dignity and their humanity.

The most alarming issue raised by Gandhi concerns the treatment of female students. He expressed shock at the requirement for female students returning after an extended absence to undergo pregnancy tests and other medical examinations to prove their "fitness." Gandhi condemned this rule as a humiliation that presumes guilt and attacks the students' dignity and humanity.

Gandhi emphasized that the students are not seeking charity but are demanding their rights. He called on the Chief Minister to personally meet with the protesting students' representatives to hear their concerns and resolve the issues promptly, stressing that students should not have to risk their health for the government to listen.

“

These students are not asking for charity. They are demanding what is theirs by right. They should not have to risk their health for their government to listen.