Several students of the Vishwa Bharti Higher Secondary School in the downtown Rainawari area of Srinagar on Thursday protested against the school authorities for allegedly not allowing them to enter the premises wearing ‘Abaya’.
One of the protesting students claimed that they were not allowed to enter the school premises wearing ‘Abaya’ following an order from the school principal.
Advertisement
The principal of the Vishwa Bharti Higher Secondary School, however, denied the allegation saying they were applying a “uniform abaya code” for the girl students in order to bring some uniformity.
Advertisement
Several political parties have strongly reacted against the decision of the school.
Tanvir Sadiq, chief spokesman of the National Conference sought intervention of the Lt. Governor in the matter saying, “Wearing a hijab (headscarf) 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.”
Mohit Bhan, spokesman of the PDP, tweeted: “Order banning ABAYAA reeks of insensitivity & callousness of Vishwa Bharti School Rainawari. Does the school admin want communal tensions or repeat Karnataka here? Order must be retracted without delay to avoid any division in society marred with conflict”.
Raqeeq Ahmed Khan, chief spokesman of the Apni Party, strongly condemned the “authoritarian” directions issued by the school. “The ban on hijab is humiliation and interference in the personal and religious beliefs of the people,” he added.
Advertisement
