Female candidates sitting the NEET medical entrance examination in India's southern state of Kerala were asked to remove their bras before taking the exam, several Indian media outlets, including NDTV, reported.
The shocking incident came to light after the father of one of the girls complained to the police.
According to reports, female security personnel posted at a examination center in the Kollam district told women aspirants to remove their bras because the metal hooks were making metal detectors beep during the security check.
The students eventually removed their bras as they were informed that if they didn't comply, they would not be allowed to sit the exam.
"Is your future or innerwear big for you? Just remove it and don't waste our time," the security staff reportedly said, according to a complaint launched by one father.
While the Marthoma Institute of Information Technology where the alleged incident happened denied any involvement, Kollam's Police head KB Ravi acknowledged that a complaint from a girl's father had been received.
"After a security check, my daughter was told that the hook of the innerwear was detected by the metal detector, so she was asked to remove it. Almost 90% of female students had to remove their inners and keep them in a storeroom. The candidates were mentally disturbed while writing the exam," the girl's father added.
Several girls wept as they "cut their hooks" to write the exam.
"The mental state of these children was disturbed, and they could not attend the exam comfortably," the letter of the girl's father to the police concluded.