Parts of MP school in hijab row demolished

BHOPAL: The administration in MP's Damoh is demolishing a part of the school that is at the centre of a hijab controversy. Police rolled in with JCBs on Tuesday but the heavy vehicles couldn't enter the area marked for demolition and turned back. Around 40 labourers then started taking apart the second floor of the school rod by rod and brick by brick. The dismantling work resumed on Wednesday morning.
The fate of over 1,200 students hangs in balance.
The collector and police had initially cleared the school of the allegation that Hindu students were being forced to wear the hijab. However, home minister Narottam Mishra ordered a probe May 31 and CM Shivraj Chouhan also ordered one the next day, saying, "No girl child should be compelled by the school to wear attire that goes against their cultural traditions."
School admin wanted jihadi empire, claims MP BJP chief
State BJP chief VD Sharma alleged that the school administration "wanted to establish a jihadi empire".
On Wednesday, district education officer SK Neema told mediapersons that the school's recognition has been temporarily suspended. If it's "permanently terminated", all the students will be admitted to other schools, he said.
Around 30% of the students are Hindus and 66% Muslims. Some of the students and their parents took out a rally in Damoh, shouting "Hamara school chalu karo".
"There is no need for parents to worry. If required, we will make arrangements for English-medium students in Hindi-medium schools as well," Neema added.
Chief municipal officer Bhaiyalal Singh told reporters that a notice had been issued to the school regarding the unauthorised construction, and a reply was sought in three days. The management's reply, received on Tuesday, was deemed unsatisfactory, so the demolition began, said officials.
Around 10.30am on Tuesday, officials tried to initiate action but were met with protests. Locals argued that the three-day notice period had not elapsed. The CMO, acknowledging the public sentiment, decided to withdraw.
However, at 5pm, the municipal and revenue department staff returned to the school to resume the encroachment removal drive. The school management locked the gates but the administration instructed employees to climb over the gate. The locks were broken with hammers and the demolition began.
Under the supervision of the CMO and tehsildar Mohit Jain, the anti-encroachment squad began dismantling the rooms built on the second floor behind the school. Around 40 municipality employees and labourers used hammers to remove every iron rod.