Govt bans forcing of students to wear religious attires

Government in a circular today asked all educational institutions not to force students to wear religious attires. The Education Ministry issued the circular as per article 28 of Bangladesh constitutions with an aim to protect the human rights.

The official circular said it is not desirable to force female students to wear religious attires and to impose bar to take part in cultural functions and sports and games.

The ministry in the circular instructed that nobody can force any women to wear `burqa' (veil) in the educational institutions, nobody can impose bar on women students from taking part in sports, games and cultural function, educational institution authorities would not repress or take any punitive actions against the female students if they do not wear religious attires 'burqa' (veil).

The government in the circular also cautioned it would be considered as misbehave if anyone force any women to wear 'burqa' or religious attires and impose bar on taking part in sports, games and cultural function.

The circular said it will be the responsibilities of the principal of the educational institutions or management committee to take action in implementing the instructions in their institutions, while the departments under the Education Ministry will take legal steps against institutions which will violate the order. The circular will effective immediately.

The High Court on Monday ordered the authorities concerned to take necessary steps so nobody can force any women to wear `burqa' (veil) in the educational institutions and the workplaces.

The court also issued an order not to impose any bar to women's participation in cultural functions and sports and games.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Sheikh Md. Zakir Hossain issued the order on a petition moved referring to a news item published in media saying that the principal of Natore Rani Bhabani Government Women College imposed restrictions on the women students in coming to the college without wearing veils.

Two advocates of the Supreme Court Barrister Mahbub Shafique and KM Hafizul Alam jointly moved the petition by annexing the news item.

-BSS