Mumbai: Vivek Vidyalaya Junior College in Mumbai’s Goregaon has come under scrutiny after introducing a new dress code that bars students from wearing burqas inside classrooms, a shift that has surprised many, as the attire had been permitted for years.

While Mumbai colleges often restrict outfits like ripped jeans, shorts, or crop tops, this institution has now added religious coverings such as burqas and niqabs to the list, citing the need to avoid clothing that reveals religion or shows cultural disparity. Hijabs and headscarves, however, continue to be allowed.

The controversy escalated after a video shared by local news portal media went viral on X, showing burqa-wearing students being stopped at the college entrance. A student narrates the situation, and the clip later shows the group meeting the principal, who appears firm in rejecting their request to withdraw the rule.

Several students stated that they now arrive on campus in burqas, change into regular clothes in the washroom before class, and switch back afterward. “I’ve worn a burqa all my life. Sitting in class without one feels uncomfortable,” said an FYJC student.

Importantly, the ban applies only to the junior college section; the senior college has no such restriction. Students who questioned the decision claimed they were asked to cancel their admissions if they disagreed with the policy.

On December 1, a group of affected students, joined by AIMIM advocate Jahanara Shaikh, approached the Teen Dongri police station in Goregaon West. The principal was summoned for discussions. Shaikh confirmed that no legal action has been taken yet. “We requested the principal to revoke the rule, but she refused, saying she would consult the management. We will meet the authorities again in two days,” she said. The college management has not issued any official statement into the matter as of now.

Mumbai, Dec 3: Shiv Sena(UBT) on Wednesday claimed that the Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat elections in Maharashtra are mired in controversy and administrative turmoil, following a ruling delivered by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court postponing all vote counting until December 21.

The party said the order mandates that the counting of the votes cast on December 2 be withheld for 19 days, and results be declared alongside the polls that were already postponed to December 20. The entire election process has become a “complete farce (khelkhondoba)” and a symbol of “slack governance and anarchy”, with both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the State Election Commission (SEC) facing intense accusations of corruption and procedural irregularity.

The Thackeray camp, in a scathing editorial in the party mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, alleged that the entire process has been characterised by “chaos, confusion, and suspicion”, with irregularities reported from voter lists to the actual voting process.

According to the editorial, the counting for 246 Nagar Parishads and 42 Nagar Panchayats, originally scheduled for December 3, was pushed ahead after a legal challenge sought to ensure that early results would not influence the voting in the 12 districts where polls were postponed. The postponement of counting means that the EVMs used today will have to be secured for nearly three weeks. Opposition parties have expressed deep concern regarding the security of the EVMs, which will be stored for 19 days. They questioned who would guarantee that the machines would remain untouched, raising fears that the ruling establishment, which is already accused of having gained power through election fraud, might attempt an ‘EVM scam’.

“Therefore, the voting machinery that was ready on Tuesday should remain ‘secure’ for a full 19 days — who will ensure there’s no tampering, and how? Everyone has seen the chaos and confusion in Assembly elections. Even in the current Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat elections, all three ruling parties — especially the BJP — have openly adopted the tactics of ‘sam, dam, dand, bhed (persuasion, purchase, punishment, division)’. The incidents of cash bags and seizures of lakhs of rupees from this same constituency have also occurred. These are the constituencies vying for power at that level. The Chief Ministers released sermons on ‘ethics, regulations, and funds’ during campaign rallies. Despite the court’s fresh verdict, he expressed sharp displeasure without hesitation,” remarked the Thackeray camp in the editorial.

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena further said, “Can trust be placed in the ruling alliance that came to power through election manipulation? With voting and counting now 19 days apart, the days of uncertainty are ahead.” The initial chaos that led to the split voting schedule was a result of the SEC’s own admission of ‘irregular’ procedure in 12 districts.

The editorial said the SEC admitted that some Election Officers violated the Maharashtra Municipality Election Rules, 1966, by allotting election symbols without providing the required three-day withdrawal period for candidates.

Critics have slammed the SEC’s eleventh-hour postponement as “highly suspicious” and “planned chaos”, alleging that the delay was intended to benefit the BJP by giving them more time for election settings.

Even Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis publicly expressed intense displeasure over the SEC’s decision, stating that the poll body was working improperly and that the process of postponing announced elections was “not proper”.

However, the opposition dismissed the CM’s reaction as a “well-staged drama”, arguing that the Chief Minister was merely ‘play-acting’ while the SEC, a ‘joker’, would not have acted without his tacit approval, commented the editorial.

New Delhi, Dec 3: Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (JUH) president Maulana Mahmood Madani, in an exclusive interview with Media. on Wednesday, said the concept of ‘jihad’ is significant not only for Muslims but for the entire nation, adding that it should be included in school education so that children understand its meaning and purpose.

He said ‘jihad’ (a term traditionally used for a struggle or fight against the enemies of Islam or to safeguard the Muslim community) has been repeatedly misinterpreted and deliberately linked with violence.

Madani alleged that attempts to ignite hostility against Islam and Muslims have intensified, claiming that some individuals identifying themselves as followers of Sanatan Dharma and other religions were intentionally distorting the “sacred Islamic principle of jihad” and equating it with terrorism.

His comments came amid controversy surrounding the arrest of the Al-Falah University chairman, with some of those accused in the Delhi blast linked to the institution. The JUH chief has also been under sharp criticism since his recent remarks at a press conference in Bhopal, where he warned, “Whenever injustice occurs, there will be jihad.”

The statement drew strong reactions from political parties and citizens across the country.

Responding to questions on the significance of jihad, he said that its relevance extends far beyond the Muslim community.

“People of the country should understand what jihad is, the different types of jihad, under what circumstances it is undertaken, when it can be carried out, who can perform it, and who cannot. Secondly, the country must recognise that jihad is a sacred religious term in Islam. If someone has a problem with Islam, they should openly declare that they are an enemy of Islam and do not accept Muslims, then they may refer to jihad however they wish,” he said.

Madani further alleged that a “few individuals, who identify themselves as followers of Sanatan Dharma or other faiths, were abusing Islam and attempting to create discord.”

“It is important for me to warn the nation that these people are behaving rudely, they want to spread terrorism in the country, they are being hostile to the country, these are traitors who are fulfilling the agenda of our enemy nations like Pakistan,” he told media.

He also criticised political leaders for using the word ‘jihad’ as a “slur”.

“We object and strongly oppose the fact that Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, and senior leaders of a particular political party use the word ‘jihad’ while abusing others and look for chances to defame Islam. We will keep opposing this strongly,” he said.

Madani reiterated that teaching the concept of jihad in schools would help dispel misconceptions.

“It (Jihad) should definitely be taught. This concept exists in all religions, and everyone should be taught about it,” he told media.

Expressing anguish over terrorism carried out in the name of Islam, he condemned the Delhi blast in which at least 13 people were killed, and many were injured. His comments came after a video surfaced of bomber Dr Umar Muhammad defending suicide attacks by calling them “martyrdom operations”.

“One of the very misunderstood concepts is the concept of suicide bombing; it is a martyrdom operation, as it has been known in Islam… There are multiple contradictions and arguments that have been brought against it — martyrdom operation,” Umar had said in the video.

Madani emphasised that such incidents were a betrayal of Islamic values.

“Law enforcement agencies are doing their job. Whether they are right or wrong will be decided in court. They should be allowed to work. As far as this incident or the Pahalgam incident is concerned, we have strongly condemned both. We oppose such acts. We believe that if humanity is attacked — even if it is done in the name of Islam or Jihad — then it is an attack against Islam itself,” he said.

He said that the true essence of jihad lies in countering violence.

“All Indians are pained that innocent people were killed to spread terror. We feel that pain just as every citizen does — in fact, we feel it twice as much, because innocents were killed in the attack and on top of that, the attack was carried out in the name of Islam. We have been fighting against it for the past 30 years and will continue to do this — this is true ‘jihad’. Ending terrorism is true jihad,” he said.