Dalit girl on her periods made to sit outside classroom during Class 8 exam in Tamil Nadu

COIMBATORE: A class VIII girl from the Scheduled Caste (Arunthathiar) recently attended puberty and was allowed to write her examination outside the classroom at a private matriculation school near Kinathukadavu Taluk in Coimbatore district.

The mother of the minor girl recorded a video and approached the education officials.

Meanwhile, a section of villagers plans to approach the Pollachi sub-collector at around 10.30am to request the district administration to take stringent action against the school management for the discrimination.

The minor girl was studying class VII at Swamy Chidbhavanda Matric Higher Secondary School at Senguttaipalayam village in Kinathukadavu Taluk in Coimbatore district.

The girl attended puberty on April 5, 2025. Following the menstrual cycle, the school management allegedly made her sit outside the classroom to write her Science exam on April 7 and Social Science exam on Wednesday.

"The girl told the incident on April 7 evening to her mother. The mother visited the school on Wednesday and noticed her daughter was made to sit outside the classroom to attend the examination. She recorded the incident using her mobile camera. The video went viral on social media on Wednesday night," said a Dalit activist.

Coimbatore district collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar said that the Coimbatore rural police began an inquiry over the incident.

The inspector of matriculation school was directed to submit a detailed report to the district administration. Stringent action will be taken against the school management.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• A class VIII girl from the Scheduled Caste (Arunthathiar) was made to sit outside the classroom during her examinations after recently attending puberty, sparking allegations of discrimination at Swamy Chidbhavanda Matric Higher Secondary School in Kinathukadavu Taluk, Coimbatore district.
• The girl's mother recorded a video of the incident and shared it on social media, leading to increased public outrage and plans by local villagers to approach the Pollachi sub-collector to demand action against the school management.
• Coimbatore district collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar confirmed that the Coimbatore rural police have initiated an inquiry into the matter, and the inspector of matriculation schools has been directed to submit a detailed report for potential stringent action against the school.