Gender bias and misogyny are so deep rooted in the Indian society that it doesn’t even shock anymore when people on responsible posts make bizarre statements. Thankfully, the law is there to take care of such situations.

The principal of a government higher secondary school in Madhya Pradesh’s  Rajgarh district was booked for allegedly asking girl students, who were not in uniform, to take off their dresses, police said on Sunday.

As per a complaint filed by three girls with Machalpur police station, principal Radheshyam Malviya (50), on seeing them in normal clothes and not the school’s uniform, told them to come wearing uniforms next time, an official said.

However, as per the complaint, when the girls replied that they had not got their uniforms stitched as school had just started, but assured him they would do the needful by Monday, Malviya got angry and told them to take off what they were wearing currently, he said.

In a video that went viral on social media, the complainants can be heard saying that the principal told them such dresses were “spoiling” the boys of the class.

“After children from the school protested, we booked Malviya on Saturday evening under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and IPC provisions for use of force intended to dishonour, insult the modesty of woman by words, gesture etc,” Machalpur police station sub inspector Jitendra Ajnare told PTI on Sunday.

“We are going to get the statement of the three girls recorded in a court on Monday. We had gone to the principal’s home to arrest him but we couldn’t find him,” Ajnare said.

When contacted, Rajgarh District Education Officer (DEO) BS Bisoriya said action would be taken in the case after the Machalpur Block Education Officer forwards documents and details about to it to him.