Maharashtra: Burqa Ban in Mumbai College Sparks Outrage, Students Go on Strike
Maharashtra: Burqa Ban in Mumbai College Sparks Outrage, Students Go on Strike
M.U.H
04/12/202519
NEW DELHI: A ban on the entry of burqa-wearing Muslim students into Vivek Vidyalaya and Junior College in Mumbai, Maharashtra, has triggered widespread outrage and protests from Muslim women.
A video posted this week by Gallinews—featuring burqa-clad students—has gone viral. In the footage, the students say they were informed that the burqa had been banned starting from the current academic year. According to them, the college administration cited cheating during exams as the reason for the prohibition and told students to cancel their admission if they insisted on wearing the burqa. AIMIM women’s wing leader Jahanara Shaikh has expressed solidarity with the protesting students.
On Wednesday, the students launched a hunger strike demanding that the college revoke the ban on the Islamic attire. They sat in front of the campus holding placards reading: “Hijab is our rights,” “Hijab is our dignity,” “Hijab is our pride,” “Hijab is not a piece of cloth,” and “Hijab is our identity and Education is our right.”
“My only request is that the college authorities remove this burqa ban. They are saying they understand burqa and hijab as two different things. They refer to the covering from top to bottom as a hijab. We want to come wearing a hijab; this ban should be lifted. That’s all we want to say,” said one protesting woman.
Another student argued that the administration should have disclosed the ban before admissions began.
“And if they wanted to impose this rule, they should have informed us earlier. Due to this, we might have been able to take admission or not. We were not informed about this earlier; it was not told to us now. Until this ban is removed, we will try to continue as we are. Now let’s see what happens next. Yes, we spoke, but we haven’t received any reply from them yet,” she said.
The Student Islamic Organisation (SIO) of Maharashtra condemned the burqa ban, calling it a violation of the Constitution and “targeted Islamophobia.”
“This policy mandates that Muslim students remove their religious attire before class, while allowing hijabs, under the guise of prohibiting clothing that reveals religion or shows cultural disparity. This policy violates Articles 14, 15, and 25 of the Indian Constitution, forcing girls to change in washrooms or face admission cancellation, inflicting humiliation and denying equal access to education,” SIO said in a statement.
Demanding the immediate withdrawal of the ban, the group added:
“It reeks of targeted Islamophobia, eroding inclusivity in our classrooms. We demand immediate repeal of this unjust rule and stand in solidarity with affected students. Maharashtra education authorities must intervene to protect religious freedom. End this exclusion now.”
The college authorities, however, claimed that the decision is not religiously motivated. They described it as part of a broader effort to create a “neutral academic atmosphere.” While burqas and niqabs have been prohibited, hijabs and headscarves are still allowed. The administration also clarified that the rule applies only to the junior college section, not the senior college.
Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane expressed support for the burqa ban, stating that burqas would not be permitted “in the Hindu Rashtra.”
