Muslim woman stopped from writing Hindi exam over hijab in Tamil Nadu

A woman from Tamil Nadu's Tiruvannamalai on Sunday alleged that she was not allowed to write a Hindi exam as she was wearing a hijab.

Shabana, who was supposed to give her Hindi exam at Annamalaiyar Matriculation School today, said that 10 minutes after the exam started, she was asked to stop writing and remove her hijab.

“The school principal approached me and told me to remove the hijab and write. But I refused. He rejected my reasons and made me stand," she said.

Shabana further said that the school correspondent took her writing pad away and asked her to leave the exam hall.

"I requested again, saying that I’m an Arabic teacher and it would send a wrong message to my students if I removed my



hijab, but she also refused," she said.

Shabana alleged that when she decided to leave the exam hall, the school principal asked her to provide a written statement, saying that she left out of her own will.

Later, Shabana's husband confronted the school management about the matter. He also approached the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the police.

Mushtaq Basha, District Head of SDPI, said that the school authorities stated that such an instruction regarding hijabs was given to them by Secretary of Hindi Prachar Sabha.

The school authorities later agreed to let Shabana appear for the exam with a hijab. However, she refused, saying that she was emotionally exhausted following a "day-long struggle".