Srinagar: Three days after a Muslim teacher at Delhi Public School (DPS) in Srinagar resigned following objection by school management over her 'abaya', the Jammu and Kashmir government raised concern by saying that "we are not France".
This incident created a major political storm in the Muslim-majority state. The state Government on Saturday said it was a "serious issue."
“We live in a multi-religious, multi-cultural set-up. We have a secular fabric (and) no force on any such issue will be accepted. We are not France,” said Education Minister Naeem Akhtar referring to the ban.
According to The Indian Express report, soon after the incident, the teacher resigned while students boycotted classes and sought an apology from the school management. They also demanded that the teacher, who taught biology, be recalled.
“I was not given any contract or explained any conditions when I joined,” said the 29-year-old teacher, the report quoted the teacher as saying.
The Principal of the school Kusum Warikoo allegedly asked the teacher to choose between her job and the dress code. When students asked her about the issue, she responded by saying that the school was “following rules” and the school law says “no female teacher can wear abaya inside the campus during working hours”, students told media.
The issue was later raised in the state assembly by MLA from Langate Sheikh Abdul Rasheed who called such a ban “in a Muslim state” condemnable, according to reports.
Responding to this issue, Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Naeem Akhtar reportedly said that Jammu and Kashmir is a multi-cultural and multi-religious state and here people have all the freedom to follow their culture, religion and can dress as per their own choice.
He further assured the House that the government would go look into the issue and take up the matter with the school management.
