In Ahmedabad, Gujarat, nursing student Hafiz Abu Bakr was disallowed from taking a Gujarat University GNM nursing examination at LG Hospital due to his beard. Examiner Sarayu Raj Purohith instructed Abu Bakr to remove his beard before commencing the examination.
Abu Bakr alleges that while he was going to the examination hall, he was stopped outside the hall and asked to shave off his beard before appearing for the exam.
In the video that went viral on social media the examiner says, “If a student maintains a beard, I believe we should conduct an examination or ask them a question.”
“There are no rules as such to ask someone to shave their beard in a classroom; it is only permitted to ask if you are in a position to offer a job or in a job interview,” the individual who was filming the video stated.
Abu Bakr alleges that when the examiner asked if he had completed the Hajj pilgrimage, he responded that he had performed the Umrah pilgrimage in March.
“She felt that I was lying, so she told me to come to the professional and shave my beard to zero, or clean shave,” he said.
In defense of herself, the examiner claims that we don’t discriminate based on religion and that we take examinations for everyone.
The individual who was filming the video says, “Just because you conduct an exam for all doesn’t mean you can do this (ask him to shave his beard) to him. It is your wish; it’s not a rule of the constitution.”
In reference to the incident, AMC leader Shazad Khan Patan stated, “I learned about the incident from the media. A Muslim student’s exam had been denied because he had a beard.In this nation, fanaticism has reached such a high level that students have to deal with it. It’s a pretty embarrassing situation.”
He said, “I think Gujarat has turned into a major hub for fanaticism in India. Both the religious and RSS mindsets have permeated college education. Given that the constitution permits it, there is no issue if someone shows up to class wearing a tilak, the hijab, and a beard. According to what I’ve heard, several girls were asked to take off their headscarves before they could take the examination.”
He went on to say, “I think it’s okay to follow a religion or a culture; the Constitution grants that right, and our nation is secular, so it’s also acceptable and it is disgraceful to attack particular communities.”
