Protest in Srinagar as students wearing abaya ‘denied’ entry

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, June 8

Female students on Thursday staged a protest against the authorities of Vishwa Bharti Higher Secondary School (VBHSS) in Srinagar which had allegedly issued a directive, asking the girls to remove their abayas, the full-length loose-fitted outer garment worn by Muslim women. Over a dozen students, accompanied by their parents, gathered outside the school in Rainawari locality in Srinagar to express their dissatisfaction.

Farhana Manzoor, a Class XII student, said girls were instructed to remove their abayas on Thursday. She said the protest stemmed from concerns about personal safety within the school.

No such ban, says principal

No such ban is there. Students were told to wear school dress underneath abaya. —Meemroze Subhaan Shafi, Principal

Principal Meemroze Subhaan Shafi refuted the allegations, stating no such directive was issued. “It is clarified that no ban has been imposed by the school on abaya. It was politely conveyed to the students to wear school uniform underneath the abaya.” She expressed regret if any conversation had been misinterpreted, and apologised unconditionally for any hurt caused to the students or parents.

An agitated parent said his daughter returned home in tears after being asked to remove her abaya. The principal allegedly insinuated that girls wearing abaya were involved in illicit activities, which the parent deemed as a shameful act.

The protesting students questioned the principal’s authority to dictate their attire, particularly when male students faced no such restrictions. BJP’s J&K general secretary Ashok Koul voiced support for personal independence in dress choices. “There should be no force in what to wear and what not. We won’t decide anyone’s dress. There should be complete independence...” Koul said.National Conference (NC) chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said it was unfortunate to witness such incidents in Muslim-majority J&K. “Wearing hijab should be a personal choice. There should be no interference in matters of religious attire,” he tweeted. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti termed it an attack on religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution. “J&K has become a laboratory for BJP’s plans of changing Gandhi’s India into Godse’s India. All experiments begin from here,” she stated. (With inputs)