Sopore: In Kashmir, women students in a college are being told to wear a burqa. No, this is not a morality drive ordered by the administration. It's being requested because the school principal has been threatened by terrorists.
Professor Mohammad Ashraf Peer of the Government Degree College in Sopore is following the diktats of some unidentified gunmen, who have threatened him to enforce the 'Purdah'. On Saturday morning, Ashraf got a chilling reminder, a phone call - implement it fast.
Most of the students of the college are already following Islamic dress code, but their principal has been threatened twice in last five days that he should enforce 'Purdah' in the college. Girls say nobody has a justification to threaten their principal.
"They told me you have to impose this on your students. If you are not going to, we will make you and the students a target," said Professor Ashraf.
Over 3000 girls study in the college, and many of them do not want not to wear the veil. They would rather dress the way Iranian women do.
"We like to wear abaya not burqa, it causes headache. We have never worn a burqa. Yet if the principal wants us to wear, we will," said a student.
So far, the police are clueless as to who has issued the threat. In the past, radical separatists and militant groups had tried to enforce the burqa in Kashmir. But this time no group has claimed responsibility.