&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Hijab row in India: Kerala govt slams Catholic school, backs students' right to religion - What happened so far")
Kerala’s General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Wednesday (Oct 15) intervened in a dispute at a school in Kochi, where an eighth-grade Muslim girl was asked to remove her hijab. The school, run by a Christian organisation, had declared two holidays following tensions between the school authorities and the student’s parents over the headscarf issue. After an inquiry by the Ernakulam Deputy Director of Education revealed serious lapses by St Rita's Public School, Kochi. Sivankutty directed the institution to allow the student to continue her education wearing the hijab, explaining that denying the girl her religious freedom violates the rights to freedom of religion and freedom of expression under the Indian Constitution.
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Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Sivankutty said that the management of St. Rita’s Public School at Palluruthyhad “violated the fundamental rights” of a girl. “The school can decide the design and colour of its students’ uniform. However, it has no right to infringe on the students’ constitutional rights. The government has asked the school management to render an explanation without delay. Consequent action, if any, would depend on the school’s clarification”, he added.
Earlier, as tension escalated between the girl's family, the community and the school administration, MP Hibi Eden and others mediated to settle the matter peacefully. "Her father himself has come forward saying that he wished his daughter to continue in the school. That itself is a big message of secularism for the society. Like I said earlier, some people were trying to create communal divide through social media. Whatever is happening against me personally is fine, but we will never allow to divide our society at any cost," Eden said after meeting the parents of the girl. Sivankutty welcomed the rapprochement, stating that Members of Parliament and Legislative Assembly had the right to resolve such disputes. He clarified that the government was not involved in the mediation between the elected representatives, the Parent-Teacher Association, and the school management.
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