The Central Board of Secondary Education amends the Do's and Don'ts that should be practiced compulsory inside the AIPMT examination hall. The said notification (vide CBSE/AIPMT/RE/3282) issued by CBSE bans wallets, goggles, handbags, hairpins, and hairbands inside the AIPMT exam hall. Adding to these, CBSE bans Muslims' traditional dresses including Tabeez, caps and scarves, which triggered the controversy.
"The candidates will not bring items like wallets, goggles, Handbags, Hairpins, Hairbands, Charm/Tabeez, belts, caps, scarves etc." reads the notification in section 6(c).
The notification further reads in section 7(a) "Students should wear clothes with half-sleeve shirt/t-shirt/kurta not having big buttons, brooch or any badge, flower and trousers/salwar etc."
Scarves and sleeves are traditionally followed by Muslim girls as a part of their religious belief. Even though it is still not clear whether the scarf mentioned in AIPMT notification is meant for Hijab, the new dress code notification undoubtedly hurts sentiments of the Muslim community.
“Wearing a scarf is part of our Culture and Religion. Even the notification goes to the extent of asking us to wear half-sleeve Kurta which is very disgusting,” says a Muslim girl candidate from Srinagar.
Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of the AIPMT office terms the notification as general guidelines for the entrance to avoid such misuses and totally discards it being against any particular religion.
News Source :
1. The Free Press Journal
2. AIPMT
Photo Credits: Parliament Magazine
