Five women were arrested in Kerala for forcing girl students, who appeared for NEET, to remove their innerwear while the National Testing Agency (NTA) constituted a fact-finding committee to look into the alleged incident. The five women were arrested after interrogation by the police team probing the case, a police official told PTI. While three women worked for an agency hired by the NTA, two worked for the private educational institution at Ayur in Kollam where the incident happened.

The state police earlier registered a case based on the complaint of a girl, who alleged that she was asked to remove her bra before she could be permitted to appear for the eligibility test. The NTA, which conducts the test, set up the panel after the Kerala government took up the issue with the Centre seeking strong action. The arrest follows protests that began on July 18. Such protests intensified and turned violent on Tuesday in Kerala's southern region of Kollam. Demanding action, the stir is against NEET frisking personnel who allegedly nudged girl students to remove their innerwear.