JU hijab row: ‘Strict action will be taken in this regard’, says Min

Kolkata: A team from the West Bengal Minorities Commission (WBMC) on Tuesday visited Jadavpur University to inquire into complaints that two hijab-wearing students were subjected to objectionable conduct during examinations, as state education minister Bratya Basu warned of strict action if the allegations were found to be true.

“Very strict action will be taken in this regard. This will not be allowed in the state. Everyone has the right to follow their own beliefs — it is a fundamental right,” Basu said earlier in the day while responding to questions on the controversy.

The six-member Commission team met vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya, registrar Selim Box Mandal and student representatives from the Department of English. WBMC chairman Ahmed Hasan Imran said asking the students to remove their hijab was “completely wrong”.

“They were wearing it out of religious conviction, and forcing them to remove it is unacceptable,” Imran said. Questioning the selective checks, he added, “This sends a message that wearing a hijab means dishonesty. I feel they were deliberately profiled.”

Imran said the Commission had recommended that the head of the department against whom allegations were made be kept away from the campus during the inquiry, citing the possibility of influencing the probe. The Commission also suggested that disciplinary action be taken against her.

Calling the incident contrary to the institution’s ethos, Imran said, “This kind of religious profiling is not the tradition of Jadavpur University. Action must be taken so that such an incident does not become normalised and a clear message goes out across the country that West Bengal is not a Yogi Adityanath state or a Nitish Kumar state.”

The visit came a day after the university constituted a fact-finding committee to examine the complaints and asked it to submit a report within 30 days.

According to the allegations, during fifth-semester examinations of third-year students on December 22, two examinees of the English Department were asked to remove their hijabs on suspicion of using unfair means.

The head of the department allegedly asked an examinee to remove her hijab and later took her to a departmental room where she was compelled to do so. Similar conduct was alleged in another examination hall. No incriminating material was found in either case, the students said. The Commission said it had sought a report from the university within a few days on the steps being taken during the investigation.