Tripura hijab protest: The attackers were outsiders, reportedly not linked to the school in any way.
Guwahati:
Men from a right wing group in Tripura on Friday beat up a Muslim boy for objecting to them preventing Muslim girls from entering a school wearing hiijab.
Locals said the victim, a class 10 student, was dragged out and beaten in front of the school, while no teacher, including the headmaster, came to his rescue. The incident sparked outrage among locals, who blocked roads in protest. The attackers were outsiders, reportedly not linked to the school in any way.
The police have said the situation is now under control. The area, Bishalgarh subdivision of Sepahijala district, was tense following the incident.
According to the school authorities, a week ago, a group of former students, who claimed to be affiliated with a right wing organisation, came to the school and raised concerns about allowing Muslim girl students wearing hijab in the school premises, and requested the headmaster to enforce a ban on it, terming it non-compliance with the prescribed government uniform.
Priyatosh Nandi, the headmaster of the government-aided Karaimura Class 12 school, a group of former students, all affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, met him.
Since there are no clear instructions from the concerned government department about such a rule, the headmaster verbally informed the students not to wear hijab in the school.
Police have said it’s not a communal issue, as some platforms have reported it. They registered a case and have also tweeted that their investigation is on.
There’s heavy police deployment in the area, a mix population locality with members of different communities. As a precautionary measure, classes have been suspended in an effort to de-escalate the situation.
State authorities are closely monitoring the situation, and efforts are being made to resolve the issue and restore peace in the region, they said.
