A video of a Muslim student wearing a headscarf offering namaz in a Madhya Pradesh university has sparked debate. The student is seen offering namaz inside a classroom at Dr Harisingh Gour Sagar University, a major university, in a video published on social media.
Hindu Jagran Manch, a right-wing organisation, has petitioned the university administration to take action against the student.
The university said it has ordered an investigation.
“A committee has been formed to investigate this. Along with this, students have been told to keep religious worship at home. The university is for studying,” Vice Chancellor Neelima Gupta said.
The university’s Registrar Santosh Sahgaura told news agency PTI they have got a complaint along with a video clip showing the student in hijab offering namaz inside a classroom.
“The five-member committee will submit a report within three days and action will be taken based on this,” Mr Sahgaura told PTI.
The institution has no specific clothing code for students on campus, but they must attend classes dressed in “basic ethical dressing,” according to Vivek Jaiswal, the university’s communications officer.
“Such religious activities should not be allowed in educational institutions. She has been coming in hijab for long, but she was seen offering namaz inside the classroom on Friday afternoon. This is objectionable as educational institutions are a place for every religion,” Mr Saraf said.
“A complaint has been submitted to the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar,” he said, and referred to the Karnataka High Court’s verdict on March 15 that dismissed petitions seeking to allow wearing hijab inside classrooms.
Umesh Saraf, the head of the Hindu Jagran Manch’s Sagar unit, claimed that the student in the video has been attending classes wearing a hijab for a long time.
The hijab is not an essential religious practise, according to the Karnataka High Court, which upheld a ban against wearing it in schools.
Niba Naaz, a student who was not one of the five students who originally petitioned against the hijab ban, has challenged the order at the Supreme Court.
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