MEERUT: A 16-year-old Class 11 student at a govt school in Bareilly was allegedly denied a sanitary pad by the principal after she got her period during an examination on Friday. Her family said she was made to stand outside the exam hall and, despite waiting for over an hour, was not provided with a pad. She was eventually sent home, bleeding through her clothes, after the principal refused to let her enter the exam hall..
The girl’s family has filed a complaint with the district inspector of schools (DIOS) and sent copies to the women and child welfare department, state women commission and Bareilly district magistrate, demanding action against the school.
DIOS Ajit Kumar told TOI, “The allegation has been made by the student’s father, who submitted a written complaint. We have formed a two-member team and sought a report on the matter. It is also being verified whether sanitary pads were available at the school. Some social organisations and the govt are running awareness campaigns to educate students, and guidelines have been issued to ensure pads are available in all schools across the district.”
The girl’s father said the principal and teachers “ignored” her and added, “She had to return home in a terrible condition. She is traumatised and now refuses to go to school as she suffered embarrassment.”
Meanwhile, school’s acting principal Rachna Arora said, “I was informed that the student had asked for pads, but I was occupied with important work at the time. She was asked to wait, but she left with her friends. By the time I was free, I learned that she had already gone home.”
Reacting to the incident, Pankhuri Sehgal, director of Pankhrise Foundation, a Meerut-based NGO, said, “Every time a girl is shamed or denied basic menstrual hygiene, we fail her as a society. Periods are natural and should never be an embarrassment; denying her dignity in these moments is a violation of her rights. It’s time to break the stigma, and schools must address this systemic issue by ensuring access to pads, private spaces and compassionate support.”
