A ‘Yogi-style’ haircut, ban on non-vegetarian food and gender segregation to prevent ‘love jihad’ – these are some of the bizarre diktats allegedly issued by a CBSE-affiliated school in Meerut for its 2,800 students, from Class I to XII.
The management of Rishabh Academy School in Sadar area of the city has allegedly asked the students to get hairstyles on the lines of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to gain entry into the premises. It has reportedly asked boys not to grow beards, saying that the school “is not a madrassa or a place where they come to offer namaz”.
In addition, the school has also ordered a blanket ban on non-vegetarian food and forced gender segregation to prevent “love jihad”.
The matter came to light on Thursday when some students were not allowed to enter the school premises because they did not have proper haircuts.
As the news spread, dozens of angry parents reached the school and protested.
Finally, the police mediated and pacified the irate parents before getting children entry to the school premises.
The management, however, denied the allegations and said its Secretary Ranjeet Jain had merely asked students to be properly dressed and sport a "decent" haircut while attending school.
"The idea is to ensure that children lead a disciplined school life. As for the ban on non-vegetarian food, that has been the case always. It is unfortunate that a communal colour is being given to a trivial issue," a school management official said.
