Terror Threat Over 'Dress Code' In Srinagar School, Principal Apologises

A school principal in Srinagar has apologised after being threatened by a terror group over alleged dress code at the school.

The principal of the Vishwa Bharti Government Higher Secondary School had asked some girl students not to wear an abaya - long robe -- inside the school, though she encourages them to wear hijab (headscarf) as part of the uniform.

But a few students refused to accept the dress code and held protests today. They accused the principal of enforcing a dress code, saying it goes "against their choice of what they want to wear as per their religious practices".

The girls have alleged that the principal told them that they should join a madrasa (Islamic seminary) if they want to wear abaya, an allegation the principal has denied.  

The matter then snowballed. After videos of the protest were widely shared on social media, they made it to news channels. Political leaders criticised the school authorities and equated the abaya issue with the hijab ban in Karnataka.

The principal tried to clarify that most of the girls in the school wear hijab and she only wanted the few girls in abaya not to wear the garment inside the school.

But the controversy refused to die down. Shortly after, a terror group issued a statement threatening to target the principal, accusing her of being a right-wing adherent.

In the evening, the principal issued a statement, apologising for hurting sentiment of students and parents.

"Today's conversation with the students and parents has been misrepresented. In any case, if it has hurt the sentiments of students or parents, I unconditionally apologise for the same," she said. The students, she added, can wear abaya and no restrictions have been imposed in the classrooms.