Student stopped for wearing Hijab at UP College, video sparks anger
Muslim family attacked in Dehradun
New Delhi: Amid rising incidents of Islamophobia across India, a new hijab controversy has stirred outrage in Uttar Pradesh after a video from Khalsa Girls Inter College in Meerut surfaced on social media, showing a Muslim student denied entry into her classroom for wearing a hijab.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in the video, reportedly recorded by the student herself, a heated exchange between her and a teacher can be seen. The student can be heard saying she was stopped at the entrance and told she could only be allowed in if she removed the hijab from her face.
“I am being asked to take off my hijab before entering the class. This is not right. I have been coming here wearing hijab for years,” the student said in the video.
The confrontation intensified as she walked into the manager’s office, where a female staff member said, “I am only asking you to remove it from your face.” The video has now triggered debate across communities, drawing criticism from various Muslim groups and concerned citizens.
Meanwhile, a government school teacher in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district has been suspended after a Facebook post she shared in response to the recent attack in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam went viral. The teacher, Zeba Afroz, is accused of making communal remarks, but many believe her post has been misinterpreted and that she is being unfairly targeted for defending the patriotism of Indian Muslims.
Zeba, an assistant teacher at Primary School Maloghat in Chopan block, wrote in her now-deleted post: “The loyalists of the country have always been Muslims, traitors have always been Sanghis.” She also condemned the killing of a youth named Gulfam in Agra.
“Muslims are called anti-national every day, and no action is taken,” said retired teacher Mohammed Saifuddin. “But when we assert our patriotism, we are branded communal. This is hypocrisy.”
In a related development, a Muslim family, on its way to a wedding, was assaulted in Dehradun’s Banjarawala area, raising concerns over rising incidents targeting Muslims in Uttarakhand and neighbouring states. The attack, captured partly on video, is being circulated widely on social media and has sparked outrage, especially among Muslims who see a pattern of targeted violence.
