Mumbai: At Vivek Vidyalaya & Junior College in Goregaon West on Thursday, members of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and a few female students demonstrated against a purported hijab ban. The protest, which attracted much attention on social media after a video clip went viral, forced the college to come out with a clarification.
Following the protest, police had registered an FIR. A senior official said six female students, including three unidentified, were booked for unlawful assembly as they staged a hunger strike outside the college without prior permission and also argued with police personnel who tried to disperse the gathering.
However, the college administration moved quickly to address the controversy. According to the Times of India report, Principal Sheeja Menon stated in a statement that the college "has no reservation for Muslim girl students wearing hijab and, in fact, there is no ban on the practice." It's a "misrepresentation which has led to unnecessary issues which were totally avoidable" was the cause of the situation, she continued.
The protest's leader, AIMIM Mumbai president Farooq Maqbool Shabdi, stated that the action was prompted by complaints from students who were allegedly requested to take off their hijabs before entering classrooms. "The college administration clarified that there is no ban on students wearing the hijab after we protested," he stated.
This incident shows the continued tensions around dress codes at places of learning and the role of student activism in raising concerns about religious freedom. After discussions with the management of the college, the institution reportedly rolled back any instructions that could be interpreted as a ban on hijab, thereby bringing temporary closure to the controversy.
(Inputs from PTI)
