The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh said on Wednesday there is no proposal to ban ‘hijab’ in educational institutions in the state, not even as state education minister Inder Singh Parmar, who had supported the ban on ‘hijab’ and had a dress code suggested in schools, said his statement was “misinterpreted”.
There is no controversy about (wearing) ‘hijab’ in Madhya Pradesh. “There is no proposal pending with the state government regarding the hijab ban. So there should be no confusion in this regard,” Madhya Pradesh Home Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra, who is also a spokesman for the state government, told reporters.
Read|University students rally in Kolkata against hijab ban in Karnataka
Asked about the protests for and against the wearing of ‘hijab’ or headscarves in Karnataka, Mishra said the case is related to Karnataka, which is pending in the Supreme Court there. Protests for and against the ‘hijab’ grew in colleges in various parts of Karnataka after the state government issued an order last week making mandatory uniforms or the management of private institutions for its students in schools and pre-university colleges in the state.
The BJP’s national secretary, Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is from Indore, said on Wednesday on campus unrest in parts of Karnataka that schools should acquire knowledge and not spread religious fanaticism. “Efforts are being made to spread religious hysteria in schools in Karnataka by insisting that wearing hijab is inappropriate. A school has its own dress code and it must be strictly adhered to, Vijayvargiya tweeted. Meanwhile, Parmar released a video statement saying his comments about the uniform in schools were related to “uniformity, discipline and identity of schools”. The day before, Parmar had said that “because hijab is not part of the uniform, so I think it should be banned.
He had said that the School Education Department is working to introduce a dress code in schools in Parliament to ensure a sense of equality and discipline among all students. “This will be implemented from the next (academic) session, Parmar told reporters. Wednesday he said
“Some people misinterpreted my comments and misreferenced them. I refute it. We are not going to introduce a new uniform code. No work is being done in this direction. The current regulation in schools regarding uniforms will remain in place,” he said.
Parmar also claimed that “systematic efforts” were being made to disrupt the country’s environment regarding the wearing of “hijabs.” When asked whether wearing ‘hijab’ will be banned in educational institutions in Madhya Pradesh, the minister said: If this (wearing hijab) happens, then the (ban) will be introduced here as well. We will take action accordingly.” Congress MLA of Bhopal (Central) Arif Masood had said he will oppose any attempt to (ban the wearing of hijab) in Madhya Pradesh.
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