Menstruating dalit girl forced to take exams outside class in Tamil Nadu school

COIMBATORE: The Negamam police in Coimbatore district registered a case against a private matriculation school correspondent, assistant correspondent cum principal and office assistant on Thursday night for making a menstruating dalit girl write Class VIII annual examinations sitting outside a classroom.
School correspondent Thangavelpandian, assistant correspondent cum principal Anandhi and office assistant Shanthi were booked under sections 3 (1) (r), 3 (1) (za) (D) of the Scheduled Caste /Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989.
The police registered the case based on a complaint filed by V Surendranath, 34, of Senguttaipalayam village. In his complaint, Surendranath stated that his two daughters aged 14 and 12 are studying in Swamy Chidbhavananda Matric Higher Secondary School at Senguttaipalayam. His younger daughter, who was studying class VIII, attained puberty on April 5. His daughter was forced to sit outside the classroom alone to write annual exams on Monday and Wednesday.
“My wife was very upset after seeing my daughter sitting outside the classroom on Wednesday. My wife questioned school assistant correspondent Anandhi and office assistant Shanthi. They argued with my wife. School correspondent Thangavelpandian told my wife that the dalit would be treated like that only,” said Surendranath.
The mother took a video of her daughter sitting outside the classroom on Wednesday.
The parents of the girl lodged a complaint with the Pollachi sub-collector Catherine Saranya. After petitioning the sub-collector, the girl’s father said the management had not given a proper reply for treating his daughter badly on the school premises.
When asked about the incident, school education minister V Senthil Balaji said the Coimbatore rural police were conducting a detailed inquiry into the incident. Assistant superintendent of police Shristi Singh visited the school on Thursday and conducted an inquiry with the school authorities. She told reporters that the parents of the minor girl had asked the school management to make their daughter sit alone as she had attained puberty. But the parents claimed that they had not asked the school management to make their daughter sit outside the classroom.
Coimbatore district education officer (middle schools) T Gomathi visited the school on Thursday afternoon. She inquired with the schoolteachers and the principal. “A detailed inquiry report will be submitted to the district chief educational officer and further action will be taken based on the report,” she said.
Gomathi said there was no discrimination. “The school management was asked by the parents to make their daughter sit alone in the examination hall. Students who are studying from classes I to VIII will be compulsorily passed by the state govt. They don’t need to attend the exam.”
Meanwhile, the school management placed principal Anandhi under suspension.