In a troubling incident from Tamil Nadu, a Dalit student was reportedly forced to sit for her exams outside the classroom due to her menstruation cycle. This event has sparked significant outrage, drawing attention to the persistent issues of caste-based discrimination in educational institutions, particularly when it intersects with gender and bodily autonomy.

The student, who was preparing for her final exams at a government school, was informed that due to the religious and cultural practices followed by certain school officials, she could not sit in the same classroom as her peers during menstruation. This ruling came despite no official school policy indicating such a requirement.

The student, a resident of a small village in Tamil Nadu, had completed the first half of her exams normally, only to face this humiliation on the second day of the exam. On this occasion, a teacher reportedly told her that she must sit outside the class as her presence in the room was seen as ‘impure’ according to certain customs followed by the institution’s staff. Shockingly, this order came even though there were no written guidelines or official protocols that supported this practice.

Dalit students, who already face numerous challenges related to caste-based discrimination, are often subjected to additional social stigma and exclusion. The intersection of caste and gender discrimination creates unique barriers for Dalit girls and women, who are forced to bear the brunt of both societal prejudice and institutionalized bias.