Kerala hijab row: Church-run school shut, gets police protection after mob intrusion

Dubai: A church-run school in Kerala’s Ernakulam district has become the centre of a political and communal storm after it denied entry to a Muslim student wearing a hijab, prompting protests, accusations of religious bias and a police protection order from the Kerala High Court.

The controversy erupted at St. Rita’s Public School in Palluruthy, a CBSE-affiliated institution managed by nuns, after an eighth-grade student arrived wearing a hijab — a headscarf covering the hair and neck — in violation of the school’s prescribed uniform code.

According to Indian media reports, the student had adhered to the uniform policy for four months before choosing to wear the hijab earlier this month. When school authorities asked her to comply with the dress code, a confrontation ensued. “This school is not allowing me to wear a hijab. They made me stand at the entrance and told me to remove it,” the girl said in a local media interview.

Tensions escalate

The dispute flared up on October 10, when the student’s father, identified as Aziz, returned to the school accompanied by several others. According to the principal, Sister Heleena Alby, the group allegedly entered the campus without permission, shouted at teachers and livestreamed the exchange online. “Abusive language was used during class hours, causing distress among students and staff,” Sister Heleena told reporters.

What the school’s petition says

• According to the writ petition filed by St. Rita’s Public School before the Kerala High Court:

• The student began wearing a hijab along with the school uniform, contrary to the institution’s established dress code.

• The school alleges her father, Aziz, “unlawfully and forcefully entered the school premises” on October 10 at 9 a.m., manhandled security staff, and verbally abused nuns, teachers, and Parent-Teacher Association members.

• The disturbance reportedly caused panic among young students during class hours.

• The school accused the father of mobilising parents from the Muslim community to defy the uniform policy.

• The District Education Officer (DEO), Ernakulam, later sought clarification from the school about the “non-enrolment” of the student. The school clarified that the student remains duly enrolled, and the dispute relates only to the dress code.

• The petition sought police protection for staff and students, citing alleged threats and mob intrusion connected to the uniform controversy.Fearing for the safety of students and teachers, the school declared a two-day holiday on October 13 and 14. A letter circulated to parents stated the decision was taken “to ensure peace and emotional well-being within the campus.”

The school also wrote to the Kerala High Court, seeking immediate police protection amid allegations that members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) — a political outfit linked to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) — were backing the student’s family and had “created a ruckus” on the campus.

Political reactions intensify

The hijab dispute has now spilled into Kerala’s political arena.

Parent-Teacher Association president Joshi Kaithavalappil alleged that members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) — a political group linked to the banned Popular Front of India — were behind the agitation. He called it “a planned attack on a Christian-managed institution.”

State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar also weighed in, describing the situation as “very distressing” and alleging political manipulation. “This is 100 per cent orchestrated. It is testing the political culture and societal makeup of Kerala. This is political posturing, backed by Congress and forced embedded,” he told CNN-News18.

Chandrasekhar accused the opposition Congress party of “surrendering before extremist forces,” saying, “The politics of Kerala is reaching a level where on one hand, Congress talks about the Constitution and then gets in coalition with Jamaat-e-Islami, which often questions the Constitution.”

Meanwhile, Education Minister V. Sivankutty reiterated that students must follow their school’s uniform policies and urged both sides to cooperate to restore normalcy.

Court steps in

Acting on the school’s petition, Justice N. Nagaresh of the Kerala High Court granted interim police protection to the management, staff, and students. The court’s directive aims to prevent further unrest and ensure the safety of the campus while the matter remains unresolved.

The incident has reignited debate in Kerala over religious expression and institutional discipline — a sensitive issue in a state known for its pluralism and high literacy but also for periodic communal flare-ups.

As of now, the student remains enrolled at St. Rita’s, but the school has reiterated that all pupils must adhere strictly to its uniform policy — a rule that, it says, was made clear to every parent at the time of admission.

The school alleges her father, Aziz, “unlawfully and forcefully entered the school premises” on October 10 at 9 a.m., manhandled security staff, and verbally abused nuns, teachers, and Parent-Teacher Association members.

The school accused the father of mobilising parents from the Muslim community to defy the uniform policy.

The District Education Officer (DEO), Ernakulam, later sought clarification from the school about the “non-enrolment” of the student. The school clarified that the student remains duly enrolled, and the dispute relates only to the dress code.

The petition sought police protection for staff and students, citing alleged threats and mob intrusion connected to the uniform controversy.