Uproar over hijab ban at Srinagar’s Vishwa Bharati College

Fresh controversy erupted in the Kashmir Valley this morning when several girl students were seen protesting against the ban on hijab outside their college in Srinagar. Girl students of Visva Bharati Women’s College in Srinagar’s Rainawari area alleged that they were denied entry into the school premises for wearing hijab. The ban and the subsequent protests took a political turn in no time. From political leaders to religious clerics, the controversy escalated and was condemned by all. “Why should we take off the abaya? I don’t love this school more than my God that I will take off this abaya. I will never take off my abaya, there are so many boys in the college and so much immorality is going on which is for their eyes is invisible and asking us to remove the abaya,” said a student while speaking to Zee Media.

“Who is she (administration official) to ask us to take off our abaya? She told us to go to a dargah (religious school) if we want to wear abaya. Don’t girls who wear abaya get the same education as Is.” Everyone except?” he added. However, the school administration has said that there has been some misunderstanding on the issue, as the students “were asked to wear the cover only as per the recommended norms.” They are wearing abaya and it is not in conformity with the college uniform. Memroze Shafi, in-charge principal of the school, said, “Even though the school has its own dress code, and some girls also wear ‘abaya’, they have never been stopped. ”

Shafi said, “Yesterday, I informed the teachers to ask those students not to wear abaya in the school premises, but they can come in the abaya till they reach the school premises to maintain decorum.” There is no higher authority involved but ” I believe a proper dress code which is being followed will be followed here also. We will announce the proper color and pattern of ‘Abaya’ for all the students who , who want to come to school wearing it. We are not allowing colored abayas. To be followed in the institution,” Shafi further said. The political leadership in the Kashmir Valley has also criticized the move. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that such a decree will not be tolerated and will have an impact.

“They want to convert Gandhi’s India into Godse’s India. Jammu and Kashmir has become a laboratory for them, and every experiment is being done from here. What started in Karnataka is now being implemented in Kashmir as well. We will not accept this, and there will be serious reactions and consequences. It is a personal choice what we want to wear, and you cannot force us to change it. They are attacking our religion and our religious leaders “The summoning of our religious leaders by the NIA is one example. We won. This is not tolerable. They have evicted us and now they are attacking our religion,” Mehbooba Mufti said. The Grand Mufti of Kashmir Valley, Mufti Naseer Ul Islam has said that the institute was only for women and has now been recently converted into a co-educational institute, so female students are not allowed to study as per their choice to protect their modesty. Should be allowed to wear burqa and abaya.