Forest guard recruitment: Girls ‘measured’ by male forester

Following uproar over a male staff taking body measurements of women candidates who appeared for the forest guard recruitment at Chittorgarh, the forest minister has suspended a doctor and a forest employee deputed at that examination centre.

While the incident took place on Tuesday when more than 250 students, including 15 girls, appeared for the forest guard’s recruitment at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Chittorgarh, the authorities took the matter lightly and kept quiet. It was only after the video footage went viral on social media that the department swung into action. After the matter came to light, forest minister Rajkumar suspended Karanpal Yadav, the erring forester. The minister said that the lady doctor had gone out for tea for a while during which the male staff started taking measurement. Yadav told senior officials during the inquiry that the lady doctor had asked him to take the measurement. Thereafter, the doctor was also suspended.

The incident took place at the Chittorgarh district headquarters where a medical team of three doctors, one of which was a lady doctor, were on duty to take the physical tests of candidates. Despite a lady guard to assist the doctor in the task, a male employee was asked to take the body measurements which allegedly was embarrassing for the women candidates.

Women and child development minister Anita Bhadel has ordered an inquiry.