A 27-year-old woman who appeared for a Hindi exam at a private school in Somasipadi village in Tiruvannamalai was allegedly asked to remove her hijab by the school's principal and correspondent on Sunday. Eventually, she had to leave the centre without appearing for the exam.
According to the sources, the exams were organized by Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha at various centers in Tiruvannamalai district. The examination was held in two sessions, the first paper from 10 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. and the second paper from 2 p.m. - 4.30 p.m.
The Muslim woman, Shabana an Arabic teacher had come to Annamalai matriculation school to take Hindi Madhayama exams on Sunday.
Fifteen minutes after the exam began, she was asked to remove her hijab to continue her exams. Shabana, who refused to do so, asked the invigilator the reasons. She was told that as per the instructions, she was supposed to write the exams without a hijab.
Shabana told reporters," I informed the principal I cannot remove my hijab. I was standing for a couple of minutes hoping he would leave the place and I could continue my test. However, the school correspondent came in some time, raised her voice, and said that she could not allow me to take the exam If I wore the hijab. She took away my writing pad, kept it outside, and told me to move out and enter the exam hall only after removing my hijab."
Shabana was made to wait till 2 p.m. by the authorities as they continued arguing with her, disallowing her to take the exam.
After the argument with both the principal and correspondent, Shabana said she would not write the exams and when she wanted to leave the premises, the school authorities forced her to write a letter saying that she did not want to take the exam if she had to remove the hijab.
Meanwhile, On Monday Shabana submitted a petition to the District Collector and also gave a written complaint to the police at the DSP office in Tiruvannamalai alleging discrimination and demanded that action be taken against the principal and the correspondent of the school.