Mumbai: Burqa ban back in Chembur college

Burqa niqab hijab or any part of dress that reveals religion like badge cap and stole is to be removed as soon as you come by going to the common roomrdquo states a circular issued by NG Acharya and DK Marathe College of Arts Science and Commerce on a student WhatsApp group A year after creating controversy over barring the burqa and hijab on campus the college in Chembur has backed the restriction yet again this yearWhile colleges have been justifying the restrictions citing a common dress code the issue has not gone down well with the community Shaikh Nazreen Bano Mohd Tanzim a SYBSc student has sent a legal notice to the collegeLast year in August Std XII students were denied entry to the college premises They were told that they were not allowed to wear the burqa or niqab over their uniform due to the collegersquos new uniform policy The matter came to light after an NGO sought an explanation from the collegersquos principal The NGO Exa Education Foundation had alleged such episodes would only prevent Muslim girl students from opting for higher educationThe messageThe circular dated May 1 2024 reads ldquoDear students of SY and TY admissions for next academic year 202425 will soon begin in online mode Be prepared to take admission For the academic year starting June 2024 a dress code applies to all students You must wear only formal and decent dress in college You can wear full shirt or half shirt normal trouser Girls can wear any Indian dress Burka nikab hijab or any part of dress which reveals religion like badge cap stole is to be removed as soon as you come by going to common room on the ground floor which is beside the dept of chemistry And then only you shall move around the college One day in a week on Thursday there must be relaxation in the dress code however maintaining decency in dress will be must sicrdquoIn her notice to the college Principal Dr Vidyagauri Lele dated May 15 Nasreen Bano has demanded that the rule be revoked alleging it infringes on the rights of Muslim girls studying in the collegeStudentrsquos noticeThe notice reads ldquoMuslim girls wearing hijab have their fundamental rights enshrined under Article 21 of the constitution of India where the right to wear any dress is a natural extension of personal freedom guaranteed by the constitution and a facet of fundamental right under Art 21 Banning students from wearing hijab also infringes their rights enshrined under article 14 right to equality article 19 1 right to choice and freedom of expression amp article 25 1 right to religion she has the right to wear what she likes however not allowing them without Hijab is restraining them from their rights Degree colleges have no uniforms and the state Education Policy doesnrsquot restrict hijab in Maharashtra similarly the UGC have not made any norms regarding this and going against the state education policy and UGC your college authority is going against the rule of law thus it puts a light of hatred on your institution because of your demeanour towards the students Restricting students from education amp hurting the religious sentiments of these Muslim girls is against law We urge your management to revoke this decision this is the second time that this issue has been raised after last yearrsquos incident your failure to not change this decision in a time frame of 15 days we shall be moving to high court under article 226 of the constitution of India to fight for our rights sicrdquoAdvocate Saif Alam said ldquoWe want the college principal and management to clarify why Muslim girls studying in this college are being subjected to such a dilemma Last year too junior college students faced issues Restricting Muslim girls from wearing burqas is denying their right to wear what they wantNeither the UGC nor the university has stipulated such a rule so why is the college management so adamant about it We have sought clarification and asked them to revoke this rule failing which we will take legal actionrdquoNasreen Bano told midday ldquoThe college says we should change any part of the dress that reveals religion Would they ask Sikh students to remove their turbans or girls to remove their bindis That would be disrespecting them and their religion right By asking us to remove our burqas niqabs and hijabs before entering the classroom isnrsquot that disrespecting our religious practicerdquoPrincipalrsquos responseDr Lele told midday ldquoYes we have received the legal notice and as per the directions from our management we will reply to it They are misinterpreting the circular and misleading the student community The circular only states that any dress that reveals religion will not be allowed on the campus We have not restricted entry We are just saying that students can come wearing any such dresses but as soon as enter the campus they will have to remove them in the common room This is to remove cultural and religious differences in the campusrdquoMay 1Day circular was issued