A third-year student of the English Department at West Bengal’s Jadavpur University has complained to the varsity authorities over an incident allegedly involving a hijab check during the semester examination held on December 23.
According to the student’s complaint, which was filed on the same day, the invigilator asked her mid-examination to remove the hijab partially to check if she was wearing any headphones. She further alleged that the invigilator proceeded to ask her several irrelevant questions, including whether she wore the hijab at all times, even during summer, and if she was doing so by her own choice.
The complainant was then allegedly examined in a separate room in the presence of the Head of the Department and a woman research scholar, but no electronic devices were recovered.
The Indian Express tried to reach out to the complainant, but she did not answer calls or reply to messages.
‘Accused of cheating as she wore a hijab’
A letter subsequently written by the students of the English Department to Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee on the same day, alleged that during the exam, one of the students was “singled out and accused of cheating because she was wearing a hijab and the student was asked to unpin her hijab in the examination room amidst the presence of other students.”
Speaking to The Indian Express on Saturday, Bhattacharjee termed the incident “extremely unfortunate”. “I have received a complaint and will be looking into the matter. Since the university is closed now and the next working day is December 29, we will possibly set up a fact-finding committee to ascertain the actual sequence of events,” he said.
According to a university official, at least four students had been caught cheating during the semester examinations this year using headphones, and none of them were from the minority community. On the day of the alleged incident involving the woman student, another student wearing a hoodie was caught cheating by research scholars who were on invigilation duty.
Only checked students who acted suspiciously: Officials
According to officials, invigilators only checked those students who appeared to act suspiciously. “There was another student wearing a hijab, but she was not checked. A physically disabled student wearing a hijab was also taking the exam at the library, but she was also not checked,” said an official.
Meanwhile, the Jadavpur Trinamool Chhatra Parishad submitted a letter to the V-C demanding an investigation into the matter. “The Constitution of India provides every citizen the right to practice, profess and propagate any religion of their choice. Expression of any sort of disrespect or intentional humiliation towards clothing choices of any student belonging to any religious community is grave violation of basic constitutional right,” it said.
“Bengal continues to resist communal inclinations in social, political and academic spaces, ensuring equality and brotherhood. We strongly demand before university authority to ensure immediate investigation of the entire incident and ensure that the victim’s individual respect is not violated in the process,” it said, while extending “complete solidarity” to the student and promising to continue its “fight to ensure that secular academic environment is not violated by any stakeholder.”