Kanpur school bars parents in niqab from parent-teacher meeting

Kanpur: A private school in Kanpur sparked a row after it stopped Muslim parents wearing niqabs from entering a parent-teacher meeting on Saturday.

The incident took place at New Vision Inter College, where parents said they were asked to remove their burqas and niqabs for identification before being allowed inside. Many objected, calling the demand unacceptable.

“Remove the niqab, only after that you can go inside,” one parent quoted the principal as telling them. Several parents got into heated exchanges with teachers. “You can tell students to come wearing uniforms, but you cannot give a dress code to parents. We have been sending our children for three years now. This is the first time we faced such a situation,” a parent said.

Some alleged they were forced to wait outside and eventually had to leave without attending the meeting.

The school principal, however, maintained that parents had been “very politely” informed about the rule a day earlier and claimed the disruption was caused by only a few individuals.

Police were called to defuse tensions. While no formal complaint was filed, a report was sent to the police commissioner. Uttar Pradesh police later said on X that the matter had been resolved peacefully and assured that “necessary action will be taken in the matter as per rules.”