Washim hijab row: College apologises, parents accept it

The parents of two Muslim girls, who were among the five students forced by the staff of Matoshri Shantabai Gote College in Washim to remove their burqas and hijabs last week, have dropped the police complaint filed against the college. Police said the parents wrote to them stating that they did not want to pursue the matter after the college tendered an apology. "We never intended to give this issue a communal colour. It was about the rights of students, especially girl students. We had demanded that the staff and college principal tender a public apology for their behaviour," said Gazaffar Hussain, uncle of one of the students.

We had submitted a complaint to Washim City police last Monday. Now that the college authorities have tendered an apology, we are dropping the case. However, I hope they will be careful and won't harass any other student like this," said Hussain.

Matoshri Shantabai Gote College in Washim, where the incident took place on July 17

The incident took place on July 17 when five girl students, who went to the college to appear for NEET, were forced to remove their hijabs and burqas. The NEET candidates and their parents also alleged that the college staff made disrespectful remarks about them and their attire. Following this, parents of two of the students filed a complaint with the police.

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"Even after matching our faces with the photo on hall tickets, they asked us to remove burqas and hijabs. When we reasoned with them and refused to do so, one of the staff told us they would cut them with scissors. They also spoke to us disrespectfully," Ariba Saman, one of the students, had told mid-day. The college has, however, maintained that they were simply following the rule.

Principal Professor G S Kubade said, "The matter was handled by one of our senior teachers. It is painful to see how people went ahead and filed a complaint. They never sought permission for wearing burqa or hijab inside the exam hall. As per rules, they should have approached the exam centre's head seeking permission for the same an hour before the exam began."

Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Pujari said the investigation in the matter is over as the parents have withdrawn their complaint. He said, "The college has apologised over the matter, following which the complainant decided to withdraw their complaint. They have given a written assurance that they do not wish to pursue the matter."

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No of students who faced the harassment