Ronita Torcato
State minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitesh Rane has demanded a ban on the hijab or the burqa from examination halls citing the probability of malpractices.
In a letter to the School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, Rane, who holds Fisheries and Ports Development portfolios, claimed that hijab inside examination halls could encourage ‘cheating and pose security challenges’.
“Students appearing for the 10th and 12th board exams should not be allowed to wear hijab. Female police officers or women staff should be appointed to conduct checks. The exams must be conducted transparently, without any scope for malpractices,” he said.
The Maharashtra Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination for Class 10 is scheduled to commence on February 21 while the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination for Class 12 will begin on February 11.
Rane also claimed that hijab could make it difficult to detect if electronic devices were being used for cheating. He called for a wider ban on the burqa in educational institutions, asserting that religious attire should be limited to homes and places of worship.
The minister does not seem to be aware that Muslim females are enjoined to wear hijab in public places. Actually, few are aware that the hijab is a pre-Islamic wearing apparel of upper class Roman and Persian women. It is now associated exclusively with conservative Muslim women.
Interestingly, “Muslim” clothing for males is not enforced, only females are singled out.
Minister Rane claimed without providing any evidence or statistics, that hijab have been misused in the past to facilitate cheating, by hiding paper chits. “This is not Pakistan or Afghanistan,” he said.
It may be mentioned that hijab clad students are a common sight in liberal bastions like St Xavier’s College. And that non Muslim students have been nabbed cheating – without the camouflage of hijab. The minister’s remarks drew flak from opposition leaders.
Ex MP Hussain Dalwai responded, “The fact that girls are pursuing education should be welcomed, regardless of whether they wear a burqa. Forcing them to remove it is unacceptable. It is against the law to hinder their right to appear for exams. Traditions should not be violated—students will naturally decide for themselves what is necessary and what is not.”
Notwithstanding Dalwai’s assertions of choice, Muslim girl students and even toddlers from economically backward sections, have hijab imposed on them by the orthodox.
