Indian minister says students must follow mandated uniform

NEW DELHI (AA) – Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that he believes all students, regardless of religion, should adhere to the dress code mandated by schools and colleges.

“It is my personal belief that people of all religions should accept the school dress code. And the issue is now in court, and the court is conducting its hearings on the matter. Whatever it decides should be followed by all,” Shah said in an exclusive interview with CNN-News18.

The hijab controversy emerged last month when a college in the southern Indian state of Karnataka ordered students to remove their headscarves inside the classroom.

Later, a group of Muslim women filed petitions against the government’s order banning the wearing of hijab on college premises.

On Feb. 10, the Karnataka High Court, after accepting the petition, barred students from wearing any religious symbol until the case is decided.

A three-judge panel is hearing the case to decide whether schools and colleges can instruct students not to wear hijab in class.

According to the Constitution, every citizen has the right to practice, profess and propagate their religion. The right can be curtailed only on grounds of public order, morality, and health.

Meanwhile, former Bollywood actress Zaira Wasim claimed that an agenda is being manufactured in which women are being asked to choose between hijab and education.

“I, as a woman, who wears hijab with gratitude and humility, resent and resist this entire system where women are being stopped and harassed for merely carrying out a religious commitment,” said Zaira Wasim in a note on social media.

“Hijab isn’t a choice but an obligation in Islam,” said Wasim, who quit acting in 2019 saying it was against her religion.