INDIA: According to a report in the Times of India, Indian teachers were ordered to sprinkle cow urine on the low-caste students as they were in the middle of exam, drenching their faces and answer sheets.

The order was said to have come from Sharad Kaitade, a new upper-caste headmaster at a school in a remote village in Maharashtra, who had taken over the reins from a lower-caste predecessor.

Cow urine is believed by Hindus to be able to purify believers and drive away evil. In India, millions are still discriminated against and oppressed by the ancient Hindu caste system. Although feeling humiliated, one student, Rajat Washnik, said that they were told that they would study better after the ritual.

In Hinduism, the cow is a holy animal. Its urine has been touted as a cure for ailments including liver disease, obesity and cancer, while in the countryside, its dung is used both as a disinfectant as well as fuel.

The teachers involved were arrested after furious parents filed police reports, but have since been released on bail while investigations are under foot.