NEET dress code row: Rights body protests outside CBSE office

After an outrage over alleged harassment of students during NEET exam last Sunday, an Islamic rights body today staged protest outside the CBSE office here, demanding a probe into the issue besides the revocation of its dress code.
The organisation said the CBSE's actions had not only disrespected the faith of Muslim girls but also the dignity of girl students in the name of checking cheating.
"Students were forced to remove their head scarves to gain entry into exam halls," Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) national secretary Syed Azharuddin said.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts the examination at over 1,900 centres across the country for admission to undergraduate medical and dentistry courses.

The SIO claimed that the board had also flouted a verdict of the Kerala high court by indulging in such practices.
The high court had last year said in its verdict: "The Board shall permit all candidates, who based on the religious practice want to wear head scarf and full-sleeved length dress, to appear for exams."

"It is a clear cut violation of the Kerala high court judgement," Azharuddin said.
The group was, however, denied permission to meet the CBSE chairman to whom they wanted to submit a memorandum on the issue.
The activists of the group demanded the CBSE to apologises and repealed the dress code.

Several students who took up National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in various centres in Kerala on Sunday had complained of harassment by invigilators of CBSE.