Overview

• Four Muslim girls in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, declined to remove their hijabs for mandatory identity checks and opted not to take the Class 10 Hindi board exam on February 24.
• The students were stopped at the Sarvodaya Inter College exam center, where invigilators were verifying identities by matching faces with admit card photos.
• Officials clarified that the identity verification process, including the presence of female invigilators, aligns with board exam regulations, and most other Muslim students complied with the rules.
• A similar incident occurred in Moradabad, where burqa-clad students initially refused to remove their attire but were later allowed to take the exam after intervention by authorities.
• The Uttar Pradesh Board exams, involving over 54 lakh students, are being conducted under strict surveillance with measures like CCTV monitoring and police deployment to ensure fairness.