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New Delhi, June 07, 2023 (PPI-OT): New controversies have arisen surrounding Ganga-Jamuna Higher Secondary School in Damoh in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh following the emergence of a poster depicting girls wearing hijabs. The school is now facing accusations of engaging in the conversion of Hindu girls to Islam. These allegations have been levelled by organizations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Jagran Manch and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Jagran Manch have claimed that two female teachers from the school have converted to Islam. They have said that various slogans, posters, and sentences promoting a particular religion were reportedly discovered within the school premises. Some BJP leaders claimed at least three Hindu girls forcibly converted to Islam, whereas, three female school teachers, during the investigation, have denied the allegation claiming the girl students changed their religion at their own wish.
Madhya Pradesh BJP President, V. D. Sharma, has gone a step further and asserted that the incident at Ganga-Jamuna Higher Secondary School in Damoh is not merely a case of “love jihad,” but rather a larger network operated by a group of individuals receiving external funding. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh government official, who was involved in the investigation of a hijab controversy at the private school in Damoh, was attacked by a group of individuals.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, showing the official sitting inside a vehicle when two people approached, threw ink at him, and shouted Hindu religious slogan “Jai Sri Ram”. The official said that he was attacked for investigating the hijab row issue in Ganga-Jamuna Higher Secondary School in Damoh. “I know those who have thrown ink on me. I will lodge a police complaint against them. They are doing all this because of hijab controversy in Ganga Jamuna school,” the official was heard as saying.
The recent controversy surrounding the Ganga-Jamuna Higher Secondary School in Damoh originated from a poster displayed on its wall congratulating the board exam toppers. Several right-wing outfits, including the VHP and ABVP, made allegations against the school based on the pictures from the poster. According to these groups, non-Muslim female students were allegedly compelled to wear hijabs, as depicted in the images from the poster.
After the allegations and controversies, a team of district education officials conducted an inspection of the school. As a result, the recognition of the school was suspended by the officials, citing non-compliance with proper norms. The suspension, however, did not explicitly mention the hijab controversy. The inspection revealed that several facilities required for students were found to be inadequate or unavailable, leading to the decision to suspend the school’s recognition.
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