Teacher wins fight against burqa diktat

A teacher at West Bengal’s first Muslim University, who was not allowed to hold classes after she defied the students’ union diktat to wear a burqa, has finally won her battle following the intervention of a state minister.

A teacher at West Bengal’s first Muslim University, who was not allowed to hold classes after she defied the students’ union diktat to wear a burqa, has finally won her battle following the intervention of a state minister.

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Sirin Middya, 24, was assigned the library duty at the Aliah University on the insistence of the students’ union, which objected to Sirin's refusal to wear a burqa in class, university sources said.

The Union had issued a directive that the eight women teachers must wear a burqa to class.

The university authorities, at the intervention of West Bengal Minority Affairs minister Abdus Sattar, have now asked Sirin to resume classes, the sources said. However, they have not specified when she will start teaching.

Vice-Chancellor Syed Shamsul Alam was urged to allow Sirin to resume teaching since there was no dress code, they said. “We have no objection to the teacher taking classes in a decent dress,” union general secretary Hasanur Zaman said.