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Now, school in Madhya Pradesh bans hijab after right wing groups’ protest

The principal of a government college in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh has banned students from wearing the hijab inside the institution after members of right-wing groups staged a protest.

Updated on: Feb 16, 2022, 03:22:40 IST
By , Hindustan Times, Bhopal
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The principal of a government college in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh has banned students from wearing the hijab inside the institution after members of right-wing groups staged a protest.

Women and girls holding placards stage a peaceful protest over the hijab ban imposed in the few colleges in Karnataka, near Shanthi Nagar Hockey Stadium, in Hyderabad on Tuesday. (ANI)
Women and girls holding placards stage a peaceful protest over the hijab ban imposed in the few colleges in Karnataka, near Shanthi Nagar Hockey Stadium, in Hyderabad on Tuesday. (ANI)

“All the admitted students/girls in the college are informed that they will not be allowed to enter the college in clothes belonging to any particular community or other special dress like hijab etc. All students should enter this temple of education in a decent dress,” principal DR Rahul said in the order.

Rahul released the order on Monday evening after members of a right-wing group staged a protest after spotting two young women students wearing burqa and hijab in the college.

The college does not have a uniform.

“We received information that girl students are coming to college wearing hijab and burqa. When we came here on Monday afternoon, we spotted two students in burqa and hijab. We staged a protest for equality of students,” said Rani Sharma, district convener of Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Durga Vahini.

“The order was released to bring (uniform) dress code in the college,” Rahul said. “Earlier, students used to come in normal dress but after this (Karnataka) hijab row, a few have started wearing hijab and burqa.”

HT couldn’t independently verify if no students were sporting hijabs or burqas before the controversy erupted in Karnataka.

“There is no confusion about hijab in MP and I request you not to create any confusion about it,” said the state’s home minister Narottam Mishra, a MLA from Datia. “I have asked the district collector to inquire into the matter of the order issued by the principal.”

Last week, a principal of a college in Satna forced a Muslim student to write an apology for wearing burqa and hijab following protests by some students against the dress of the young woman.

  • Shruti Tomar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shruti Tomar

    I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More