On May 31, 2023, a poster from ‘Ganga Jamna Higher Secondary School,’ a private school in the Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, went viral on social media. The controversy arose as Hindu and Jain girls were depicted wearing hijabs. The widespread outrage prompted the state’s Home Minister and Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, to take notice. Consequently, the school’s registration was suspended, and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) visited the campus. An FIR was also filed against the school’s principal, a teacher, and a peon.
On August 23, the Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld the ban on hijabs as part of the school’s dress code while granting bail to the accused. The court emphasised that the school administration cannot compel any student to recite Islamic prayers or read Islamic texts. The accused, including the principal and teachers, are currently facing a subjudice case and are out on bail.
Recently, the NCPCR issued a notice to the Director General of Police (DGP) in Madhya Pradesh, highlighting threats against a minor witness in the case. The commission received a complaint from the parents of the witness, stating that they are being intimidated by one of the accused, Mohammad Idris, and others. The accused are allegedly pressuring the witness’s family to withdraw the complaint, using both threats and financial inducements. The commission has called for the DGP’s intervention and requested necessary action be taken.
Readers should know, on August 23, the bench of Justice Dinesh Paliwal heard the bail plea of the accused, Afsa Sheikh, principal of the school. The court granted her bail but laid down certain conditions to run the school. Here’s what the order (MISC number–30656/2023) says;
(i) Applicants shall not repeat the commission of the offence in which they are being released on bail.
(ii) They shall not prevent students of other religion from wearing the essentials of their own religion as such wearing a sacred thread (kalawa) and putting tilak on the forehead.
(iii) They shall not compel the students of other religion to read/study any material or language which has not been prescribed or approved by the Madhya Pradesh Education Board.
(iv) They shall not provide any religious education or material belonging to Islam faith to the students of other religion and shall impart only modern eduction as contained in Section 53(1)(iii) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
(v) Girl students of other religion i.e. Hindu and Jain etc. shall not be compelled to wear head scarf (Hijaab) anywhere in the school premises or in the class rooms.
It is important to highlight that the accused filed a plea, asserting that they were not responsible for promoting hijab or Islamic literature. Instead, they claimed to have acted on the instructions of Managing Director Mohammed Idrish and other members of the school management.
Justice Paliwal, while granting bail, noted, “The charge sheet has been filed against the applicants, who are the principal, teachers, and peon. The primary allegations are against the school’s management. The trial of the case is expected to take a considerable amount of time.”
The issue came to light when Priyank Kanoongo, the Chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), took notice of the matter. He issued a notice (number – DD6270) demanding an action report from the district collector and the police.
The poster displayed outside the school featured meritorious students, including 18 individuals, three of whom were male, and the rest female. Notably, among the 15 girls, four belonged to the Hindu and Jain communities and were wearing hijabs, leading to the poster gaining national attention.
During the same week, Organiser discovered the school’s YouTube channel, where students were observed chanting religious prayers like “Lab pe aai hai dua” in traditional Muslim attire. Further investigation on the school’s Facebook account revealed that female students were mandated to wear hijabs, even during sports events. Those who did not wear hijabs were seen covering their heads with a dupatta.
On June 2, members of the Madhya Pradesh SCPCR visited the school and found that Islamic teachings were being imparted to the students. Students recited “Surah-Al-Fatiha” as their morning prayers, and the school walls featured inscriptions of Islamic teachings, some of which contradicted scientific principles.
After the visit, Megha Pawar, a member of the MP SCPCR, spoke with Organiser, stating that Ayats from the Quran were written on the blackboard, students were compelled to recite Islamic prayers, wear hijabs, and remove Kalwa and Tilak. Students with Hindu names had hijab pictures in the school register. Even kindergarten students had books with questions like, “Who are you–I am a Muslim,” “What is your religion–My religion is Islam,” and “Where is Allah–Allah is everywhere,” among other such questions.
On the same day as the visit, the NCPCR issued a notice (number: LC6535) to the DM and SP of Damoh, urging the initiation of an FIR against the school authorities. Subsequently, a First Information Report (number–498/2023) was filed at Damoh Kotwali on June 7 against the principal, Afsa Shiekh (daughter of Sahil Shrivastava), maths teacher Anas Ahtar, and peon Rustum. These accused individuals were charged under IPC sections 295-A (outraging religious feelings), 506 (criminal intimidation), sections 75 and 87 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and sections 3/5 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. All three were sent to jail on June 10 and June 11.
In response to the matter, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed his concern and declared that such incidents would never be allowed in Madhya Pradesh. Amid the growing controversy, the school’s administrator, Haji Mohammad Idris, wrote a letter to the Chief Minister, stating that the scarf was never mandatory as part of the school uniform; it was always optional. However, he announced that, henceforth, the headscarf or hijab would not be included in the school uniform for any girl studying at the school.
It was also uncovered that the logo of the school and other enterprises owned by the Ganga Jamna group featured a symbol in which half of India was obscured by tampering with the map of India. The head of the NCPCR expressed strong disapproval, stating, “This type of tampering with the map of our sovereign nation India by the educational institution will not be tolerated at all.” He further insisted that the accused should be charged under the sedition law.
On June 13, the state Home Minister, Dr. Narottam Mishra, addressed the media, stating, ‘There can be bulldozer action against the illegal construction at the Ganga Jamna School.’ Later that day, Municipal Corporation teams arrived at the school with a bulldozer and dismantled the illegally constructed structure on the third floor. Notably, the same team, upon their initial arrival in the morning, was sent back following widespread protests by the Muslim community.
Organiser conducted a ground report on this case, interacting with Hindu students studying in the school and their parents. The students revealed instances where their Tilak and Kalawa were removed at the school gate. Female students were compelled to wear hijabs, greet with “Assam Walikum,” and the diary contained Islamic prayers. Arabic and Urdu were taught as compulsory subjects.
Parents expressed concern as the school’s registration was canceled mid-session, and they had already paid fees, leaving their children without an alternative. When asked about the dress code, parents mentioned that the school’s proximity, being the only English medium school in the area, and affordability were factors influencing their choice.
The NCPCR took responsibility for relocating the students, of whom 1,200 studied at the school, with 350 being Hindus. Some were moved to government schools, while NGOs facilitated the transfer of others to better private schools.
It is worth mentioning that in September 2021, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate. They claimed that students at Ganga Jamna school were compelled to undergo an education resembling that of a Madarsa. Allegations included the enforced wearing of hijabs by female students and the compulsory offering of Namaz by boys. The memorandum highlighted concerns about Quranic Ayats being written in Arabic inside the classrooms, among other issues. Despite these points raised in the memorandum, no action has been taken against the administration to date.
