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Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane demands ban on burqa during exams

Mumbai: In a move which is likely to snowball into a major controversy, Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane has demanded a ban on wearing burqa during the class 10 and 12 state board examinations. He has expressed concerns that the full-body covering could facilitate cheating and the smuggling of unauthorised materials into examination halls.

Rane has written a letter to school education minister Dada Bhuse saying that allowing girl candidates to wear a burqa inside examination halls could lead to malpractices and also create security issues.

“If examinees are allowed to wear burqas, it will be difficult to determine whether electronic devices or other means are being used to cheat. In case of any untoward incident, it could lead to social and law-and-order issues, affecting many students,” said the BJP minister.

Mentioning that his government will not tolerate the politics of appeasement, he wrote, “The rules that are applicable to Hindu students, the same should apply to Muslim students as well. Those who want to wear a burqa or hijab can wear it at their homes but at the examination centres, they should write their exams like other students. There have been incidents of cheating and copying in the cases where students were wearing a burqa. All this should not happen in Maharashtra, so I have written a letter to the concerned minister.”

Students appearing for the 10th and 12th board exams should not be permitted to wear a burqa. If necessary, female police officers or female staff should be appointed to conduct checks. These exams are crucial for students’ future and they must be conducted transparently, free from any malpractices such as cheating, he added.

Rane, the BJP MLA from Kankavli, holds fisheries and ports development portfolios. Maharashtra Secondary School Certificate exam for Class 10 will be held from February 21. The Higher Secondary Certificate exam for Class 12 will start from February 11.

On August 9, 2024, the Supreme Court stayed a Mumbai college’s directive that prohibited students from wearing hijabs, burqas, caps and naqabs on campus. While the court allowed the ban on burqas and naqabs, it highlighted the need for a more nuanced approach to religious attire within educational institutions.

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