Ex-DGP R Sreelekha opposes Kerala’s menstrual leave policy for schoolgirls over privacy

Former Director General of Police (DGP) and BJP leader R. Sreelekha publicly opposed the Kerala government’s proposed menstrual leave policy for schoolgirls, sparking a major public debate regarding privacy and women’s empowerment.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Sreelekha criticised the newly proposed “Project Menstrual Dignity” by the UDF government, which plans to grant up to three days of monthly leave to schoolgirls. She argued that taking dedicated monthly leaves would inadvertently reveal a student’s menstrual cycle to her family, school, and neighbours, calling it a breach of personal privacy and potentially embarrassing.

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Sreelekha questioned whether the policy truly empowers girls or inadvertently makes them look more vulnerable and dependent. Recalling her own time in school, college, and rigorous physical IPS training, she shared that she and her peers never skipped duties due to period pain, citing this endurance as the “real strength of women”.

‘Some people will experience some pain and discomfort during it. Some will feel it very naturally. I was in very severe pain at that time, but I have never missed school or college for this reason,’ Sreelekha wrote on Facebook

Instead of a blanket holiday, she urged the government to establish clean toilets, install sanitary napkin vending machines, and provide free pain-relief medication inside educational institutions

“Instead of such freebies, why not arrange for clean toilets and napkin vending machines for girls in all schools and colleges? If necessary, free painkillers can also be made available in schools. All of this will be beneficial for all female teachers and staff,” Sreelekha wrote in the post.

Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, in his policy address to the state Assembly on Friday, announced a proposal to introduce up to three days of monthly menstrual leave for schoolgirls.

Youth Congress State General Secretary Dulkhifil V.P. strongly opposed R. Sreelekha’s remarks, stating that menstruation is a natural biological process and providing workplace or educational rest is the responsibility of a modern, democratic society

Dulkhifil counter-argued that menstruation is as natural as breathing or digestion. He slammed Sreelekha for portraying a vital human process as a “shame” that needs to be hidden. He added that millions of women suffer from severe cramps, heavy bleeding, and mood swings, making rest a matter of fundamental right, not sympathy.