A Catholic school in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh has courted contro-versy for barring Muslim girl students from wearing head-scarf on campus.
The principal of Anand Bhawan School, Archana Thomas, told a Class VII girl to remove the headscarf from the next day if she wants to study in the school. The school administration also sent a notice to parents of the student and asked them to “abide by the school’s dress code, or else, get their ward admitted in some Islamic School.”
When the girl still wore the scarf to school the next day, the principal allegedly removed the scarf forcefully and scolded her. Speaking to News18, the girl said that her father had taken prior permission for the headscarf. “Principal Ma’am denied the permission. Next day, when I wore the scarf, she called me and snatched away my scarf. My cousin, too, was denied permission and was scolded for wearing the headscarf to school,” said the seventh grader.
The girl’s father, Moha-mmad Raza Rizvi, questioned the logic of the school’s rules and asked if Sikhs can wear a turban, they why can’t Musli-ms wear a headscarf to school.
“As per our faith, females need to cover their head. I requested the principal to give permission. She said she would hold a meeting in October, but eventually she denied the permission, saying that it flouted the dress code. I want to understand how come Sikhs are allowed to wear pagdi (turban), which is also not a part of the dress code?” Rizvi asked.
