Deep Mukherjee 
Jaipur: On March 1, 2025, the district collector’s office in Rajasthan’s Dungarpur issued an order, initiating a departmental inquiry and suspending Sunita Kumari, a Dalit lecturer in a government school in Khera Kachwasa village.
On the same day, a similar order was issued by the office of the superintendent of police in Dungarpur against head constable Shivlal – a policeman from the tribal Meena community – initiating an administrative inquiry against him and sending him to the police lines for the duration of the inquiry.
In both instances, Brahmin groups have alleged that Kumari and Shivlal had asked aspirants from the Brahmin community to remove their janeu (a thread considered sacred by Brahmins) during frisking at the examination centre for the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) that was being conducted on February 27 and 28.
Both Kumari and Shivlal have denied that any such incident took place.
‘How can a woman teacher frisk male candidates?’
The incident has also led to Dalit and tribal groups slamming the BJP government in Rajasthan for singling out and punishing government employees from marginalised communities and demanding that the action taken against the duo be reversed.
During the examination held for recruiting government teachers, Kumari was posted as a field supervisor at a government school in Dungarpur’s Sundarpur that was an examination centre for REET.
“There were several other superior officials who were posted at the exam centre including the centre superintendent, assistant centre superintendent and observer. My wife’s duty was to check the identity cards of officials coming inside the examination centre. There were other officials who were in-charge of checking students during their entrance. The exam on February 28 was conducted peacefully and no untoward incident took place,” Vikas Kumar, Kumari’s husband told The Wire.
He added that later in the evening they got to know that some aspirants have alleged that they were asked to remove their janeu during checking at the exam centre.
The issue flared up after videos went viral on social media claiming that the REET aspirants were made to remove their janeu.
“No such incident took place. The videos don’t seem to be from the examination centre. How can my wife, a woman teacher, frisk male students? It was neither her responsibility nor did she ask anybody to remove their janeu. But on March 1, she was suspended. We are unable to understand why this has happened when no such incident took place. We hope that the suspension is lifted,” said Kumar, who himself is also a government teacher.
The district collector’s order suspending Kumari mentions that cognisance was taken in the issue after receiving a memorandum from the Vipra Foundation (an outfit advocating for the rights of Brahmins) and from news reports, after which a detailed inquiry was conducted by the district education officer, Dungarpur.
Thereafter, the departmental inquiry was initiated and Kumari was suspended with immediate effect.
Fellow policemen support head constable, say video made by miscreants
In the second incident, head constable Shivlal was deployed at a college in Punali village along with other police personnel during the examination.
“We had received orders that items such as mobile phones and jewellery were not allowed inside the examination hall. But we had not asked anyone to remove their janeu. The staff members present in the examination centre have already said in written that no such incident took place. I hope the action against me is reversed after the inquiry,” head constable Shivlal told The Wire.
In a letter addressed to the district collector, Rakesh Katara, a constable who was posted at the examination centre along with Shivlal has said that the police personnel deployed at examination centre were asked to check and ensure that mobile phones, Bluetooth smart watches are not taken inside and the police should diligently search aspirants wearing shoes, socks and caps.
“After the examination, videos went viral on social media about Brahmin candidates being asked to remove their janeu but we did not ask any Brahmin candidate to remove their janeu at the exam centre. In the videos on social media, no policemen can be seen removing janeu. Miscreants may have gone away from the examination centre and made the video of removing janeu before making them viral on social media,” says the clarification written by Katara.
Brahmin groups protest, Congress MLA criticises incident
After the videos went viral on social media, Brahmin outfits held protests and demanded action against the officials who they alleged had made Brahmin candidates remove their janeu.
“In the exam held on February 28, out of malice, some employees in two centres of Dungarpur forcibly made Brahmin candidates remove their janeu. Rules have no mention that janeu should be removed. This was done to insult the Brahmin community and the Sanatan Dharma. Vipra Foundation and Sarv Brahmin Samaj have strongly opposed this and we have demanded from the collector and chief minister that guidelines should be issued to ensure such incidents don’t happen again,” Narendra Paliwal, a leader of the Vipra Foundation told reporters.
Paliwal added that strong action should be taken against those who are responsible for making aspirants remove their janeu.
The incident was also criticised by the opposition Congress, with Congress MLA from Bundi Harimohan Sharma slamming the BJP and highlighting the fact that Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma is also a “janeu-dhari (one who wears janeu) Brahmin.”
“The chief minister himself is a Brahmin Pandit janeu-dhari, but those who went to appear in examination were made to remove their janeu. This is an effort to malign the chief minister. A Pandit ji is the chief minister and in his rule, Brahmins’ janeu is taken off…what else is left to be done?” said Sharma in the state assembly.
Also Read: A Dalit Poet’s Words Were Expunged from the Rajasthan Assembly Records. Here’s Why
Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore said that the government will ensure that such incidents don’t happen again in the future.
“This effort to stray away from traditions and show oneself as too aware is not correct. The officials there should understand in what ways cheating in examinations is done. Whoever has done this has been punished and we will ensure such things don’t happen in future and people are offended. How can one cheat in an examination with janeu? It’s a thread that is attached to the body. Will one take it out and look at it?” Rathore told reporters.
‘Why only a Dalit and a tribal government employee have been singled out?’
Dalit and tribal groups have condemned the incident and accused the state government, demanding that no action is taken against Kumari and Shivlal.
“Sunita Kumari is a sincere government employee from the scheduled caste and her suspension has deeply hurt the sentiments of the scheduled caste in Rajasthan. It is our request that the order of the district collector Dungarpur is taken back and the suspension of Sunita Kumari is cancelled with immediate effect,” said G.L. Verma, General Secretary of the Ambedkar Memorial Welfare Society Rajasthan, an organisation advocating for the rights of Dalit government employees.
Verma added that other government employees in the examination centre have written in support of Kumari, saying that no such incident took place.
The Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP), which presently has four MLAs and one MP from Rajasthan, has demanded that no action is taken against Kumari and Shivlal. The tribal district of Dungarpur is the area of influence of BAP, with the party emerging as a formidable force in electoral politics in recent times.
“We have come to know that nobody had asked the candidates to remove their janeu. It appears that such propaganda is being wilfully spread by organisations such as Vipra Foundation by encouraging REET aspirants to make such videos. Employees have been unfairly targeted out of malice. There were many people in the examination centres from all castes and religions but only a Dalit and a tribal government employee have been singled out. They have denied that any such incidents took place,” Banswara MP Rajkumar Roat told The Wire.