Did a school in Srinagar 'ban' students from wearing abayas?

A school in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar is facing flak for allegedly not allowing entry to girl students wearing abayas. The incident triggered a row after videos of the students protesting outside their school went viral on social media.

The alleged ban also courted reactions from political parties in the Union Territory. The school has denied the allegations of the protesting students.

What led to the students’ protest, what has the school said and how have political parties reacted? Let’s take a closer look.

Students protest against ‘abaya ban’

Some students of Class 11 and 12 of Vishwa Bharti Higher Secondary School in Srinagar hit the streets on Thursday (8 June) alleging that the principal was forcing them to remove abayas, reported Hindustan Times (HT).

Abaya is a loose-fitting robe worn by Muslim women.

According to the protesting students, the principal on Wednesday asked them to come to school without wearing an abaya.

“When I turned up at school on Thursday morning, the gatekeeper didn’t allow us inside. He told us that if we insist on wearing hijab, we should go to darasgah (Islamic seminary),” a class 11 student told The Wire.

Vishwa Bharti Higher Sec School’s principal wholeheartedly apologises for hurting the sentiments of the society. pic.twitter.com/90NnAq3yCf

— kamran yousuf (@kamranyousuf_) June 8, 2023

The students said they were not comfortable without abayas, especially after the school was converted into a co-education institute.

As per HT, a protesting student claimed the school was discriminating against students wearing abayas for the past few days. “Our principal says that we should move on and remove abaya. How is abaya a hindrance to education? We are school toppers, and we just want to study in peace,” she added.

A Class 11 student told The Wire that there was “no dress code” at the school. She also questioned the principal for allegedly stopping them from entering the school wearing abayas.

“Students in foreign universities wear hijabs. The Indian Constitution gives us this freedom. Who is she to tell us what we should or should not wear? Under which rules are we stopped from entering the school?” the student was quoted as saying by The Wire.

School denies imposing ‘abaya ban’

After the issue snowballed, the school authorities clarified their stance, saying no ban has been imposed on wearing abayas.

According to The Wire, Nimroz Shafi, the school principal, initially admitted that students were asked to remove abayas. However, in a statement later she called the allegations of the students “totally baseless and misrepresented”.

The principal told mediapersons previously that students were asked to don white coloured hijab (headscarf) at school.

“Some girl students come to school in multi-coloured abayas with different designs, which is against the rules. Hijab is included in school uniform and a student is bound to wear uniform at school. I have given them three choices. No one is removing their abayas but they have been asked to wear hijab or headscarf at school,” The Wire quoted the Shafi as saying.

After the matter escalated, a terror group threatened to target the principal, reported NDTV.

Later on Thursday, the principal released a statement and apologised for “unintentionally” hurting sentiments.

“That it has been running on social media that female students have been directed not to wear abaya (long robe) which is totally baseless and misrepresented. The school management always respects the sentiments of all the sections of society vis a vis the dress code. It is clarified that no ban has been imposed by the school principal or the management on wearing abaya but it was politely conveyed to the students to wear school uniform underneath the abaya,” the statement read, as per HT.

The principal also said there was“no higher authority involved” in the matter.

Batting for a “proper dress code”, she said the school will lay down the guidelines for those who want to wear abayas.

“I believe a proper dress code should be followed by all. We will announce a proper colour and pattern of ‘abaya’ for all those students who want to come to school wearing it,” the principal was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

Political parties react

The school also received backlash from political parties in Jammu and Kashmir.

Condemning the alleged ban, Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, as per The Hindu, said: “There should be no imposition of a dress code. Students should be free to wear what they want. They (the BJP) started it in Karnataka, now they are trying to implement a dress code in Kashmir. It’s like waging war against a particular community”.

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference’s (JKNC) chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq supported the students, saying wearing a hijab should be a “personal choice”.

“It is unfortunate to witness such incidents in a Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir. We strongly oppose this and urge for immediate corrective action. This is the Vishwa Bharti Higher Secondary School Rainawari Srinagar,” he said in a tweet.

Wearing a Hijab should be a personal choice, and there should be no interference in matters of religious attire.

It is unfortunate to witness such incidents in a Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir.

We strongly oppose this and urge for immediate corrective action. This is the… pic.twitter.com/eOqjCBYOw4

— Tanvir Sadiq (@tanvirsadiq) June 8, 2023

BJP Youth leader Manzoor Bhat also backed the students who want to wear abayas and said their voices will be “heard and duly considered”. “If girls choose to wear an abaya over their uniform for religious reasons, they should be allowed to do so. It is important to respect individuals’ religious rights as enshrined in Indian law. There has been no order issued by the administration regarding the banning of abaya in schools,” The Hindu quoted Bhat as saying.

J&K Waqf Board chairperson and BJP leader Darakshan Andrabi insisted that uniform was a must in educational institutions as it maintains uniformity, reported HT.

With inputs from agencies

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