Muslim girl faces probe for wearing hijab in India varsity

ISLAMABAD: A video of a Muslim girl wearing a hijab and offering prayer inside a classroom prompted Dr Harisingh Gour University (HGU), a central varsity in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar to order an inquiry on the complaint of an extremist Hindu organisation, an Indian official said on Saturday.

A memorandum demanding an action was submitted to the varsity by the Hindu Jagran Manch after a video clip surfaced. The HGU registrar said that a complaint was received along with a video clip. A day earlier, the Indian Supreme Court refused to accord urgent hearing on the pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court’s verdict that declined to plea against hijab.

“A five-member committee has been constituted to look into this matter. The committee will submit a report within three days and further action will be taken based on this report,” he said. The HGU media officer said there is no formal dress code for the students on the campus of the educational institution but the students must attend classes in “basic ethical dressing”.

Hindu Jagran Manch’s Sagar unit president told the media that the girl in the video has been attending lectures while wearing a hijab for a long time.

“Such religious activities should not be allowed in the educational institutions. She was coming in hijab for long but she was spotted offering prayer inside the class on Friday afternoon. This is objectionable as educational institutions are a place for every religion. A complaint in this regard has been submitted to the vice-chancellor and the registrar,” he said while referring to the Karnataka High Court verdict.

The Karnataka High Court had on March 15 dismissed the petitions seeking permission to wear hijab or headscarf inside the classrooms, observing that it is not a part of the essential religious practice in Islam.