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Srinagar: The principal of a school in Srinagar has apologized after a terrorist group threatened him over the alleged dress code in the school. The principal of Visva Bharati Government Higher Secondary School had prohibited some girl students from wearing an ‘abaya’ (a loose-fitting full-length dress worn by Muslim women) inside the school.
After which some girl students protested alleging that the dress code was imposed by the school. He accused the principal of enforcing a dress code, saying it was “against their choice of what they want to wear or not wear according to their religious practices”.
The girl students protested against the decision
One of the protesting girl students accused the principal that we were told that if we wanted to wear an ‘abaya’, we should go to the madrassa. We are not allowed to enter the school. The girl students alleged that the school management told them that they were “spoiling the atmosphere of the school” by wearing ‘abaya’.
Principal Memroz Shafi defended his move
After the controversy escalated, school principal Memroze Shafi had said that girl students have been told that they can wear ‘abaya’ from home to school but they have to take it off in the school premises. Also, he said that we asked him to wear a long white colored hijab or keep a big scarf as it is a part of the school uniform. They came wearing colorful abayas with different designs which are not part of the school uniform.
Principal apologizes
Even after the clarification of the principal, the dispute was not taking the name of stopping. Shortly after, a terrorist group issued a statement threatening to target the principal, accusing him of being right-wing. After which the principal issued a statement apologizing for hurting the sentiments of the students and parents.
He said that today’s conversation with students and parents has been misrepresented. In any case, if it has hurt the sentiments of students or parents, I tender an unconditional apology for the same. He said that girl students can wear abaya and no restrictions have been imposed in the classes.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti called it an attack on religious freedom provided in the constitution. Mufti had said that Jammu and Kashmir has become a laboratory for the BJP’s conspiracies to convert Gandhi’s India into Godse’s India. All experiments start from here. It started in Karnataka and reached Kashmir. This is not acceptable to us. There will be serious backlash because wearing clothes is a personal choice. There should be no compulsion.”
