Representative image showing a student writing an exam.
Credit: iStock Photo
Chennai: A 13-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly made to sit outside her classroom to write her exams because she was in her first menstrual cycle, leading to the suspension of the principal of the private school in Coimbatore district where she is studying.
A video of the incident showed the girl from Arunthathiyar community writing the exam from a staircase in the school and the teacher questioning her on why she was not inside the classroom.
As the incident sparked outrage, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said the department stood with the young girl and announced that the headmistress of the school has been placed under suspension.
"A departmental inquiry has been initiated against the private school,” the minister added. However, a preliminary investigation has found that it was the girl’s mother who requested the school management for a separate arrangement for the girl as she was in her first menstrual cycle.
Coimbatore Police, in a late night action, registered a case against three persons, including the school’s correspondent, under various sections of Prevention of Atrocities (SC/ST) Act.
The incident also triggered a major outrage with several activists questioning the school over its decision to keep the girl out of the classroom.