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BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged that instead of upholding institutional rules and academic integrity, the state government had chosen vote-bank politics.
File photo of the Jadavpur University (Representative image)
The BJP on Thursday slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government over the hijab controversy at Jadavpur University, accusing it of “appeasement” after the head of the English department was asked to go on leave following an identity verification dispute during an examination.
Reacting to the development, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said an English professor had been penalised for performing her duty by asking two students to briefly remove their hijabs during an exam to verify identity, calling it a standard procedure followed in examination halls.
“Appeasement at its lowest by Mamata Banerjee,” Malviya wrote on X. “An English professor at Jadavpur University has been asked to go on leave for doing her duty. Her ‘fault’? Asking a student to remove her hijab briefly during an examination to verify identity is a standard and reasonable procedure followed in exam halls.”
Malviya alleged that instead of upholding institutional rules and academic integrity, the state government had chosen vote-bank politics.
“Instead of standing by institutional rules, academic integrity, and the safety of the examination process, the Mamata Banerjee government has chosen appeasement over principle,” he said.
“This is not secularism. This is a surrender of common sense and university autonomy at the altar of vote-bank politics. When identity verification becomes ‘offensive,’ and teachers are punished for upholding rules, the message is clear: appeasement comes first, education and fairness last,” he added.
The BJP’s reaction came after Jadavpur University authorities asked Saswati Halder, head of the English department, to go on leave until the end of January following a recommendation by a five-member fact-finding committee probing the incident.
The controversy erupted after Halder reportedly asked two undergraduate students to remove their hijabs during an examination on December 22 on suspicion of cheating.
University officials have said Halder applied for leave for personal reasons, though sources indicated the move followed pressure amid protests by students. The incident triggered demonstrations on campus, with some students alleging Islamophobia and demanding action against the professor.
January 08, 2026, 12:21 IST
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