A newly-enforced uniform at a government college in UP’s Moradabad is in the eye of a storm after protests by the Samajwadi Party’s youth wing and media reportage alleging that students wearing the burqa were not allowed to enter the institute. Amid allegations that the move stripped Muslim women students of their right to religious freedom, authorities at the Hindu College maintained that the uniform was necessary to prevent the entry of outsiders.
The uniform – white shirt and gray trousers for boys and gray kurta and white pyjama for girls – has always been in place but never enforced. However, after an attack on a faculty member by alleged outsiders, college authorities said they announced that it would be strictly enforced from October 15 last year – compliance has only been ensured since January 1 this year.
