Stones were pelted at the house of the Principal of a local school affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) at midnight on Thursday. The attack is apparently connected with the controversy over the school’s decision to strictly enforce the school uniform amidst protests by some Muslim students’ organisation at its refusal to allow some Muslim students to wear long-sleeve kameez.
The house of Deepika Jaidas, Principal of the Sree Narayana Vidya Mandir (SNVM) here, came under attack at around midnight. Two windowpanes were smashed in the attack. The attack on the house near the Sub Jail close to the Taluk Office and the Collectorate here, followed protests by the Campus Front and the Students Islamic Organisations, students wings of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Jamat-e-Islami respectively, on June 23, against the school authorities’ decision that no student would be exempted from wearing any modified versions of the school uniform of salwar and half-sleeve kameez. The organisations protested against the action taken by the school authorities against some students who had attended classes wearing full-sleeve kameez.
Principal Deepika Jaidas told The Hindu on Friday that three big stones were hurled at the house by some miscreants late at night. Two windowpanes were broken in the attack, she said, adding that the police personnel from the Town Police Station nearby had reached the spot immediately and registered a case.
The school is managed by the Sree Bhakthi Samvardhini Yogam, a local organisation dedicated to the ideals of Sree Narayana Guru. The controversy started when the school authorities asked six Muslim girls who had come to the class wearing the full-sleeve kameez to obey the school’s regulations on the uniform. The Principal warned the students on June 8 and later suspended them on June 20 when they continued to defy the school rules concerning the uniform. While three of the students had been given transfer certificates (TC) on their request, the remaining three were allowed to attend the classes after they agreed to wear the prescribed uniform.
Ms. Jaidas said that the school rules and regulations could not be changed to suit the demands of one or the other groups of students.
She said the school had earlier taken a firm stand when some Hindu boys studying in the school wanted to wear black clothes during the Sabarimala pilgrimage season. She also said that she had, on June 23, replied to the letter sent by Deputy Director of Education P.K. Ayyappan seeking clarification from the school authorities on the uniform issue. The Principal said she had made it clear in the reply that all students should follow the school’s rules concerning the uniform.
The DDE had sought the response of the school authorities following a direction from District Collector Anand Singh. The Collector had directed that the students be allowed to wear the full-sleeve kameez.
A few days ago, two Plus Two students, Nufsin and Shahanaz who had applied for TC, said at a press conference that their decision followed the school authorities’ refusal to be allowed to wear clothes in accordance with their religious faith. Jumaina, a class X student, who was among the students suspended for wearing full-sleeve kameez, had said at the press meet that the restriction on wearing the uniform was introduced recently but there was no restriction on wearing the headscarf.
The Campus Front had staged a march to the school on Thursday demanding that the students be allowed to wear the full-sleeve uniform. A march to the DDE office here was also taken out by SIO students raising the same demand.
