Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), June 1 : Amid the controversy over the hijab case in the Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that a probe has been ordered into the matter.
"The matter came to my attention. No school can force a girl to wear something opposing their culture. I have ordered a probe. Action will be taken after the probe on the basis of evidence found," he said while talking to the reporters here.
On May 31, posters of toppers from a private school began to circulate on the internet. The surprising aspect of these posters was that all of the female students shown were wearing hijabs. Some of these females were Hindus and Jains, which aroused outrage.
Following an uproar over the issue the Minister of School Education Bhopal Inder Singh Parmar said that the uniform of the school was subject to public scrutiny and that the private schools had a right to decide on the uniform.
"The uniform of the school is subject to scrutiny. As per the rules of the School Education Department, private schools have the right to decide on the uniform," he said.
Parmar further added that action would be taken on the Damoh hijab case if the parents of the children studying in the local school would lodge an objection to the issue.
"Action will be taken if the parents lodge the objection. Action will be taken as per the instructions by the Home Minister and Chief Minister," said Parmar.
Priyank Kanoongo, head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), took cognizance of the situation and issued a notice to the District Magistrate (DM) on May 31 seeking an action report within a week.
According to the notice, the major areas to be investigated were whether the school had permission to allow hijabs as a dress code.
The commission also discovered videos of students reciting religious prayers, the authorities appear to be in violation of Article 28(3) of the Indian constitution, and the funding received by the institution.
Notably, Hindu organisations had been criticising the school administration since 2021, claiming that Hindu girls were forced to wear hijabs, males were taught how to do Namaz, and these students were educated as if the school was a Madrasa.
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