FIR against MP school amid headscarves row

A private school in MP’s Damoh district has been booked for allegedly forcing students to wear headscarves and embrace Islam, police said on Wednesday.

Updated on: Jun 8, 2023, 16:02:16 IST

By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal:

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A private school in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district has been booked for allegedly forcing students to wear headscarves and embrace Islam, police said on Wednesday.

A first information report (FIR) was registered against Ganga Jamuna Higher Secondary School under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Juvenile Justice Act on the directions of state home minister Narottam Mishra, who assured action in the case, police added.

The development came a week after the state education department suspended the recognition of the school following a controversy over a poster showing female students, irrespective of their religion, wearing headscarves that looked like hijab as part of the uniform.

While the school refused to comment on the registration of the FIR, administrator Mohammad Idris Khan earlier said that he was “ready for a fair probe”.

On Wednesday morning, Mishra told reporters: “Police are going to take action against the school administration for embracing one religion and forcing female students to wear headscarves.”

The English medium school mostly has students belonging to the minority community, according to the school education department.

The purported controversy over the headscarves erupted on May 31 after the administration put up a poster, on the premises, of students who topped the class 10 state board exams. The female students were seen wearing headscarves, irrespective of their religion.

A class 8 student claimed authorities were forcing students to practice Islam. “Our teachers would force us to learn and recite the Quran on Friday,” the student said.

On June 1, several right wing organisations held protests against the school, alleging a bid by the school to convert students.

While district education officer (DEO) S K Mishra gave a clean chit to the school, the district collector Mayak Agrawal later constituted a probe committee on the directions of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. “A report will soon be submitted to the state government for further action,” Agrawal said, refusing to provide further details.

On Tuesday, school education minister Inder Singh Parmar ordered removal of DEO Mishra for giving a clean chit to the school administration. Local BJP leaders also threw ink on the DEO, accusing him of favouring the school.

Damoh superintendent of police (SP) Rakesh Singh said the FIR was registered under sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code and under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act.

“A few students alleged before the probe committee that they were forced to embrace Islam, read the Quran – holy book of the Muslims – every Friday and learn the Urdu language,” he said.

On Wednesday, chief minister Chouhan asserted zero tolerance towards such purported activities.

According to Chouhan’s office, he also gave instructions to the chief secretary and director general of police to investigate the complaints against the school.

“There is a conspiracy for conversion in some places in the state, we will not let such efforts succeed. I have also given instructions to probe the activities of all educational institutions, including madrassas. If education is being imparted in a wrong way, then we will check that too,” Chouhan said in a video released by his office.

“In the Damoh case, I have been informed that our daughters are being forced to wear headscarves. This is a very serious matter. As home minister Narottam Mishra ji said earlier, we are registering an FIR. Strict action will be taken. If this kind of effort is being taken in the name of education, then we will not tolerate it at any cost. Those who have such intentions will get the harshest punishment,” he added.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) also took cognizance of the matter, saying such activities are against the Constitution.

(with inputs from Anupam Pateriya)

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

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