Burqa-clad Muslim students denied entry to Chembur college

A Karnataka-type issue erupted in Maharashtra when burqa/hijab-clad Muslim students were denied entry to a college in Chembur in Mumbai on Wednesday.

The incident happened in the N G Acharya and D K Marathe College at Vaibhav Nagar area of Chembur.

Videos of the incident have gone viral on social media platforms.

The girl students alleged they were instructed to remove the burqa/hijab to be allowed to enter the college.

The college authorities could not be contacted.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra unit president MLA Abu Asim Azmi has urged the government to look into the issue.

Azmi has written to Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil and tagged the letter to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio.

"The job of educational institutions is to impart punishment in the society without any discrimination and not to make a political issue by targeting a particular religion,” Azmi said.

AAP leader Aslam Merchant said that the intention seems to be to create a law and order situation. “The college has asked girls to remove burqa and hijab and enter college. Why are they being asked to do this outside the college… they could have provided a changing room where the girls could have removed the burqa and hijab,” he said.

The security guard at the entrance gate stated that he was following the instructions of the college authorities, who insisted that burqa-clad students should take it off before entering.