M.P. government suspends recognition of school caught in “compulsory hijab” row

The Madhya Pradesh government on Friday suspended the recognition of the Damoh school that is at the centre of a controversy over allegations of non-Muslim students wearing hijab. 

The Madhya Pradesh government on Friday suspended the recognition of the Damoh school that is at the centre of a controversy over allegations of non-Muslim students wearing hijab. 

In a late development, an order was issued by the joint director of School Education of the Sagar division saying that the Ganga Jamuna School had violated recognition rules. However, it made no mention of the hijab controversy and said that upon inspection, it was established that several facilities meant for students were inadequate or unavailable.  

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The order came hours after the school issued an order making a “dupatta” or “scarf” an optional part of the school uniform. 

Right wing groups had alleged that the Centrally-funded senior secondary school was making female students wear hijab, after a picture of a poster congratulating topper students went viral earlier this week. The school had so far maintained that the students were wearing scarves, and not hijab in the picture. 

In a letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the school’s manager Haji Mohammad Idris conveyed the clarification and expressed regret if anyone’s sentiments had been hurt. 

National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo joined the debate, tweeting the manager’s letter and claiming that Mr. Idris was lying.