After hijab ban, Chembur college bars entry of students wearing jeans

The college was in the news recently after the high court upheld its dress code banning burqas and other religious identifiers

Mumbai: A fresh row erupted at Acharya Marathe College in Chembur on Monday as students wearing jeans and t-shirts were not permitted to enter the college premises, leading to chaos and accusations of harassment on the part of students.

Students can longer wear jeans to Acharya Marathe College in Chembur(HT File (Representational Image))

The college was in the news recently after the high court upheld its dress code banning burqas, niqabs, hijabs, and other religious identifiers such as badges, caps and stoles. The dress code also prescribed half and full shirts with trousers for boys, and “any Indian/ western non-revealing dress” for girls.

More recently, the college issued a directive mandating students in higher classes must be dressed in “formal” and “decent” attire, with specific instructions for both male and female students.

On Monday, some female students dressed in jeans and t-shirts were prevented from entering the college premises alongside their peers, who were wearing hijabs. The aggrieved students accused the college authorities of being narrowminded and said the regulations on dress code violated their constitutional right to freedom of religion and culture.

“I was wearing jeans, which is my regular attire, but was stopped at the college gate by the security guard for the first time,” said a female student. “I don’t feel there is anything wrong in wearing jeans. The college management must change its mindsets considering students’ current lifestyle,” she said.

In similar vein, another male student who was barred from entering the college said, “More than 40 of us had to wait outside the college gate today morning. Not only did we miss our classes for the day, we will also be stressed about what to wear to college every morning.”

Vidyagauri Lele, the college principal, said they had objections to certain types of jeans and t-shirts. “Rather than classifying those, we have placed a ban on jeans and t-shirts for all students. I have personally spoken with students to explain our policies,” she told HT.