Arabic teacher forced to leave exam hall for refusing to remove hijab during Hindi Prachar Sabha exam

News Network
August 21, 2023

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Chennai, Aug 21: A Muslim woman was reportedly forced to leave examination hall during the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha’s exam at a school near Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu after she turned down the demand to show her hair by removing her hijab.

Shabana, who teaches Arabic at a school in Tiruvannamalai town, was prepared to appear for her Madhyama exam at Annamalai Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Somasipadi village. However, a few minutes after the exam started on Sunday, August 20, she was asked to stop writing and remove her hijab.

“I informed the principal that I am a teacher and I cannot remove my hijab. The principal was not ready to listen to my explanations. I was standing for a couple of minutes hoping he would leave the place and I can continue my test. However, the school correspondent came in some time, raised her voice and said that she cannot allow me to take the exam if I wear the hijab. She took away my writing pad, kept it outside and told me to move out and enter the exam hall only after removing my hijab,” the victim told reporters.

Shabana said that within 20 minutes after she began writing, she was asked by the school principal, who came for invigilation, to remove her hijab.

According to Shabana, the school correspondent also asked her to submit a letter saying that she did not want to take the exam if she had to remove the hijab.

Shabana told the correspondent the hijab was like a uniform and that as a teacher, if she removed her hijab, students would think they could remove theirs also. “She said I cannot argue with her. Despite pleading with her for some time and saying that I can remove the nose piece, she was not ready to allow me,” the candidate said.

Shabana also said that she was made to wait for close to an hour by the authorities as they continued arguing with her, disallowing her to take the exam.

Later, Shabana's husband confronted the school management about the matter. Condemning the incident, members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) staged a protest in front of the exam centre.

“This is a democratic, secular country. Each one has their religious rights and no one should be allowed to take away anyone’s religious freedom. When we asked the principal if there was any government order on this, we were told that the Hindi Prachar Sabha secretary had informed them,” said Mustaq Baasha, SDPI president in Tiruvannamalai district.

“The government should provide justice to the woman and take stringent action against the authorities for discrimination,” the SDPI leader said, adding that such incidents could not be allowed to take place in Tamil Nadu, “the land of Periyar”.

An official from the district education department said that the exam was conducted by the Hindi Prachar Sabha and not the state government, adding that the government had not issued any such order insisting that candidates should remove their hijab.

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News Network
November 11,2024

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Udupi, Nov 11: The Karkala town police in Udupi have arrested Krishna Naik, the sculptor responsible for installing a 33-foot Parashurama statue at Umikkal Hill in Bailur, Karkala taluk. 

Naik, the owner of Krish Art World and a resident of Bengaluru's Visvesvaraya Layout, was apprehended in Mahe, part of the Union Territory of Puducherry, for allegedly substituting a look-alike statue in place of a genuine bronze figure at the Parashurama Theme Park in Karkala.

Udupi Superintendent of Police Dr. Arun K confirmed the arrest, stating that Naik faces charges under Sections 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code. 

This legal action followed a complaint lodged in June by Krishna Shetty, a resident of Nallur village, Karkala. Shetty claimed that Naik had received a payment of ₹1,25,50,000 from Udupi Nirmithi Kendra for the installation of a bronze Parashurama statue. However, Naik allegedly deceived the government by installing a replica instead.

The statue was unveiled on January 27, 2023, by then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has since ordered a CID investigation to probe deeper into the alleged fraud surrounding the statue's installation at the theme park.

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News Network
November 11,2024

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The Manipur Kuki MLAs have released a statement calling out Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's 'lies' in the Supreme Court. In a joint statement, the MLAs, including those from the Bharatiya Janata Party, said they had not had any meeting with the Chief Minister since May 3, 2023, nor did they intend to meet him in the future as “he was the mastermind behind the violence”.

As per the MLAs, the SG lied about state CM N Biren Singh speaking to Kuki MLAs to control the situation there, in order to halt a Supreme Court probe into the leaked tapes which allege that Singh has been complicit in the violence that broke out between Kukis and Meitis there.

"We...clarify that we have never had any meeting with Chief Minister, Shri N. Biren Singh since May 3, 2023, nor have any intention to meet him in future as he is the mastermind behind the violence and ethnic cleansing of our people from the Imphal valley, which is continuing till today, the latest being the brutal killing and burning of Mrs Zosangkim Hmar on November 7, 2024," the letter read, while condemning the recent 'barbaric' killing of the woman there, and noting the SG's assertion is 'tantamount' to misleading the top court.

“We, the undersigned ten MLAs, have come to know that during the Supreme Court hearing held on November 8, 2024, the Solicitor General of India submitted that ‘CM is meeting all Kuki MLAs and trying to bring the situation down to get peace’. In this connection, we hereby categorically state that this submission is a blatant lie and tantamount to misleading the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” the statement said.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a petition by a Kuki organisation, asked that it submit audio tapes to substantiate its claim that the Chief Minister was instrumental in inciting and organising violence in the northeastern State.

Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta orally informed the court that the Chief Minister was meeting all the Kuki-Zo MLAs and that peace in the State had come at a huge cost.

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News Network
November 22,2024

Mangaluru: A man fell victim to an online scam, losing Rs 1.7 crore after fraudsters posed as officials from TRAI. According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, the incident began on November 11, when the complainant received a call from an unknown number at 9:49 am.

The caller, claiming to represent TRAI, alleged that another mobile number registered under the complainant's name was involved in illegal activities in Andheri (East), Mumbai. The caller further stated that an FIR was lodged against the complainant for harassment under the guise of marketing. He was instructed to contact Andheri (East) police station immediately or risk his mobile service being deactivated within two hours.

The complainant was subsequently connected to an individual named Pradeep Sawant, who claimed the complainant was implicated in a money laundering scheme linked to the Naresh Goyal fraud case. Sawant alleged that a fraudulent bank account under the complainant's name was opened at Canara Bank, Andheri, and used to purchase a SIM card for illegal activities. He warned that the complainant could face arrest.

Later, the complainant was contacted via WhatsApp video call by individuals posing as Rahul Kumar (a police officer) and Akanksha (a CBI officer). They allegedly sent fabricated CBI documents to his WhatsApp number. The fraudsters demanded money to "resolve" the case. Fearing threats, the complainant allegedly transferred Rs 1.7 crore through RTGS in batches of Rs 53 lakh, Rs 74 lakh, and Rs 44 lakh between November 13 and 19. A case has been registered at the CEN police station and an investigation is ongoing.

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