Class X girls asked to remove hijab in Gujarat; Education dept removes exam admin
Bharuch, Mar 14: The principal of a private school was removed as an exam administrator by the Gujarat Education Department on Thursday after an outrage erupted among parents who alleged that she had compelled Muslim girl students to remove their hijabs before a Class X examination.
The incident took place at Lions School in Ankleshwar town, Bharuch district, just before the mathematics paper on Wednesday of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB).
Following complaints from the parents, the state education department swiftly removed the exam centre administrator, Ilaben Suratiya, who is also the principal of the school.
District Education Officer Swati Raol took action after meeting with the concerned parents.
"I have seen the CCTV footage and the parents also gave their application to me in this regard. I have ordered an inquiry into the incident and also started the process to change the exam centre administrator because I found merit in the complaint," Raol said.
Parents recounted how their daughters, including one who cried for hours after the incident, were pressured by school staff to remove their hijabs before the exam.
Suratiya defended the actions, stating that ensuring clear video recordings of all students' faces was the rationale behind the request.
"As per the rules, the faces of all the students must be clear in the video recording. That's why we had asked the girls to remove their (head) scarves before the exam so that we don't have to disturb them during the exam and others also don't get disturbed," Suratiya said.
However, Raol contested this action of the principal saying "there are no specific instructions or guidelines from the board about the attire to be worn during exams".
CCTV footage reviewed by parents revealed that women supervisors at the school requested two Muslim students to remove their hijabs before collecting the garments, citing the need for clear facial identification according to exam protocols.
Talking to reporters, a parent said, "The school principal and other staff harassed the girl students, including my own daughter, by asking them to remove their hijab ahead of the exam.
"My daughter cried for three hours after returning home. It happened with nearly a dozen girls yesterday. We want the authorities to take action against those involved in this act," the parent said.
After a thorough review and discussions with parents, Raol initiated an investigation into the incident and promptly replaced Suratiya as the exam centre administrator.
The GSHSEB clarified that there are no specific dress code rules for examinees, emphasising that students can wear any "decent" attire during exams.
Exam Director of the GSHSEB, M K Raval, said students can appear for the exam wearing any decent attire.
"There are no specific rules about clothes to be worn during exams. Students can wear any decent attire. Any female supervisor can check the identity of a female student ahead of the exam by matching her face with the photo on the receipt. After that, we have no issues," Raval said.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
