Principal of school at centre of headscarf row arrested in Madhya Pradesh

Late last month, a poster celebrating the school's success in class 10 Board exams was put up outside the premises, featuring non-Muslim students in headscarves. This set off a series of protests by right-wing groups, who raised allegations of religious conversion.

Ganga Jamuna Higher Secondary School in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district. (Express Photo)

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The principal of Ganga Jamuna Higher Secondary School in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district and two other school staff have been arrested, days after a controversy erupted over girl students allegedly being forced to wear a headscarf, police said Monday.

Late last month, a poster celebrating the school’s success in class 10 Board exams was put up outside the premises, featuring non-Muslim students in headscarves. This set off a series of protests by right-wing groups, who raised allegations of religious conversion.

On May 31, the state’s Home Minister Narottam Mishra ordered a probe into the incident, and on June 2, the education department derecognised the school, citing inadequate infrastructure.

Also Read | MP ‘hijab’ poster row: Only English-medium school in ward, its students face uncertain future

On June 2, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while referring to Urdu poet-philosopher Iqbal, alleged that the school administration was “teaching poetry of a man who talked about the division of the country” and warned that “such acts won’t be allowed in Madhya Pradesh”.

Established by the Ganga Jamuna Welfare Society in 2010, this is the only English-medium school in the town’s Futera ward, catering to its largely working-class population of farmhands, beedi makers and labourers.

The state government also constituted a high-level committee to investigate the matter.

Police identified the arrested persons as Afsha Sheikh, the school principal; Anas Atahar, a mathematics teacher; and Rustam Ali, the security guard. They were produced before a local court on Sunday and sent to judicial custody.

Damoh Superintendent of Police Rakesh Singh told The Indian Express the three were “arrested on the basis of statements of six-seven witnesses comprising mainly of the school students and their family members”.

On June 7, police had filed a case against 11 members of the school management committee. (Express Photo)

“They were arrested after raids were undertaken. We are conducting raids in the district as other persons are also accused in this case and they are absconding. We have also invoked section 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) of the IPC,” Singh said.

The defence counsel for the accused denied the allegations. “They were produced before a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court where police did not seek further investigation. The police have shared their case diary with the court. We will prove our case before the court,” said a defence counsel.

On June 7, police had filed a case against 11 members of the school management committee. They were initially booked under IPC sections 295 (damaging or defiling any object held as sacred by any class of persons) and 506 (criminal intimidation), as well as provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. The FIR was based on the statements of three students.

The school administration had earlier dismissed the allegations and said that the headscarf was part of their uniform, introduced after class VI. School administration had also clarified that students were not forced to wear it.

Also Read | MP govt suspends pvt school’s licence over hijab row in Damoh, CM warns such institutions will not be allowed to run in the state

It had also told the District Collector on June 8 that they will “discontinue their old dress code and give children the option of choosing between dupatta and scarf” and “sing the national anthem every day”.

Damoh District Collector Mayank Agrawal, meanwhile, constituted a high-level committee to investigate the school’s registration, funding and school rules. He said, “Our high-powered committee report is yet to be finalised. The GST, forest and food safety departments were also made part of the committee. Police made arrests on the basis of the statements recorded by the committee.”