A 27-year-old Muslim woman was allegedly asked to remove her hijab to appear for the Hindi examination at Annamalai Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Somasipadi village near Tiruvannamalai town on Sunday.
Police said that around 540 candidates appeared for the examination, which was organised by Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha at various centres in Tiruvannamalai district. The examination was held in two sessions - forenoon (10 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.) and afternoon (2 p.m. - 4.30 p.m). The duration of the examination was two-and-a-half hours.
Shabana, who teaches Arabic at a private school in Tiruvannamalai town, was initially allowed to enter the exam hall. But around 15 minutes after the examination began, Revathi, the school Correspondent, allegedly asked Ms. Shabana to remove her hijab. She cited a few other candidates who had done so.
However, Ms. Shabana refused to do that. As their argument intensified, the school authorities alerted the Kilpennathur police, who rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the candidate and her family members, who were waiting outside the examination hall. By then, a few Muslim outfits had also come out in support of the candidate.
As the talks failed, Ms. Shabana left the examination centre without appearing for the test. No complaint had been filed over the issue, police said.
