Three teachers and the principal of a school in Hyderabad’s Hayathnagar have been booked allegedly for forbidding Muslim students from wearing a hijab while attending classes. The two Class 10 students have reportedly been wearing headscarves to school since the start of this academic year on June 12. However, the teachers and the principal allegedly reprimanded them and asked them to remove the scarves, claiming it was against school policy. The students subsequently informed their parents, leading to a police complaint.
One of the two students, who is reportedly the daughter of a Hayathnagar court judge, told the media that a teacher tried to forcibly remove the hijab of a junior student as well. “The school management claims that it follows a secular policy. This is not secularism. Secularism is when everyone is free to follow their faith,” the complainant alleged.
The Hayathnagar police said a case has been booked and investigation is underway, but denied the allegation that the teachers forcibly tried to remove students’ headscarves. The Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections under which the case has been registered remain unclear.
Earlier on June 16, students of the KV Ranga Reddy Degree College for Women in Santosh Nagar of Hyderabad had alleged that they were made to remove their burqas before entering the college to write their intermediate supplementary exams. “There is no rule here barring us from wearing a burqa. During the first exam they told us that wearing it is not allowed. Other colleges don’t have any such rules,” said one of the girls while speaking to the media. The college management cell, however, denied that girls wearing burqas were denied entry.
“There is absolutely no such issue in the college. Students wearing burqas had attended the first and second exams. We never force anyone to remove anything. We only disallow candidates from entering when they arrive late, as our gate closes at 9.30 am,” R Bhaskar from the admissions cell told TNM.
When asked to comment about the incident by the media, Telangana Home Minister Mahmood Ali had promised to take action if the allegation was found to be true, adding that no written rule states a burqa can't be worn to such institutions. However, he went on to pass sexist remarks criticising people for western outfits. “People can wear whatever dress they want. But it won’t be correct if you wear clothes like they were in Europe. Our Hindu sisters cover their heads with a pallu. If women wear less clothes, it can create problems,” he had claimed.