Howrah, West Bengal: A school in West Bengal’s Howrah faced severe backlash when a clash between students started during an exam. Some students opposed wearing hijab while others opposed wearing saffron scarves inside the school premises. A furious clash started between the two groups due to which the exam had to be canceled.
The incident occurred at a school in Howrah’s Dhulagarh area where the RAF had to intervene to control the situation. The students of classes 11 and 12 were reported to be involved in the clash. Later, a meeting of the management committee was formed to identify the students and address the issue.
Some students were seen to be fearful after the incident escalated so far that the Rapid Action Force (RAF) had to be deployed. A class 8 student said, “The entire ruckus happened between students and the school has been closed. Some Muslim girls wore hijab to school and some Hindu boys objected to it, asking them not to wear it during exams. This led to a scuffle and some Hindu boys wore T-shirts with Lord Shiva’s graphics on their uniforms in their bid to protest.”
Another class 11 student said, “I study in class 11. A few Hindu students wore namabalis to school and a Muslim girl protested against it. When the girl said that it is not a part of the school uniform, then these boys asked why she was wearing a hijab. Students of one community started vandalizing the property. When teachers tried to stop them, they were pushed aside and exams were also postponed.”
Explaining the incident, a school authority said, “On Monday, three students wore a namabali to school and a few female students objected to it. The boys had removed it. We had decided that we would tell the students that no religion would be allowed after the exam. On Tuesday, five boys wore namabali and a ruckus stirred up among students. No property of the school was vandalized by any students.”
The ongoing hijab row controversy has entered educational institutions all around the country. The political leaders in the state are also expressing their grievances in this case and urging students to keep away from such acts in the future.