Some students were allegedly denied entry in a state-funded college in India because they were wearing burqas. However, the educational facility has claimed that it was due to a dress code violation.
The incident occurred in SRK College in Firozabad, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, according to Indian media reports.
The college authorities said that they were merely following rules the college had started implementing seven years ago.
"This is an old rule that students have to come in uniform and with ID cards. Since admissions were going on, this was not followed strictly. Now it has been completed. So after September 11, entry without uniform and ID Card is not being allowed. Burqa doesn't come under dress code. Only the uniform which has been decided by the college will be allowed," college principal, Prabhaskar Rai was quoted as saying, according to a report in news magazine India Today's website.
However, a report by the Indian Express newspaper quoted Rai saying that burqas were allowed to be worn, but only in grey colour. The students were wearing black burqas.
India Today quoted a student who was denied entrance who said, “Don't know why they are not allowing it. I did try to get inside but they refused permission for it.”
The students claimed that such rules were not implemented earlier.
District Magistrate Chandra Vijay Singh termed the issue as an internal matter of the educational facility and said that authorities need not interfere.
"The incident has come to my knowledge. This is an internal matter of college. Some of the girls were told that they need to come in uniform and that entry would not be allowed without uniform and ID," he was quoted as saying in the news report.
Some people alleged that the students were pressurised to remove their burqas, however, Singh refuted those allegations.
"No, they were not forced to remove their burqas. They were told to come in uniforms. Students should follow the rules decided by the college," Singh was quoted as saying.
Netizens react
Some social media users advocated for religious freedom and were outraged at the stance the college allegedly took against the students.
Twitter user @meetjafferm wrote: “Religious freedom does not differentiate between public and private places, Burqa can be well practised by keeping the face exposed to show identity, Defence forces have provision to allow Sikh brothers to have turbans then why college restrict students?
Whereas user @drimtiaz1955 thought that the principle’s stance was against the Indian constitution: “Principle is doing unconstitutional work by preventing burqa wearing girls in college who are bona fide students of that college.”
Tweep @parthsarthi_14 tweeted at the Firozabad police: “This is wrong. Colleges can prescribe a dress code but they can’t say that only burqa is banned. @firozabadpolice look before u have to repent.”
