ISLAMABAD: Ten students of Jamia Millia Islamia said that they were barredfrom participating in a National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp at Rohini in NewDelhi as they were sporting a beard .
The students said that the authorities told them to shave their beardsovernight or leave the camp. They said that their refusal to do so met withan eviction order, KMS reported.
The students said that they asked the authorities to mention the reason fortheir eviction on the notice, but were simply given notices forindiscipline. The students stayed outside the NCC camp for a night andreached link>Jamialink> the next morning where studentorganisations protested the discrimination. The NCC cadets also met thelink>Jamia link> VC.
Dilshad Ahmed, one of the students, said, “We were evicted only because ofour beard link> . On the first day of our camp,we had written an application, saying our beards have a religiousimportance and we should be told if there is a problem. But suddenly on thesixth day of the camp, the authorities said either shave your beardlink> or leave.”
“We decided not to shave and asked them to give us an out pass or movementorder so that we can leave. But we were denied that” he said.
Another student said while the Indian Army only allowed Sikhs to wearturbans and sports beards, the Act through which NCC was set up does notmention anything about the beard link> . “Weasked the commanding officer to mention the specific charge but he justsaid indiscipline,” he said.
The students said that they were also told that ‘now it is Modi’s rule’.
CO Lt Colonel, S B S Yadav told media men that they had told the studentsto shave as part of the discipline of NCC. “They said they have theirreligious beliefs. I told them it is their wish if they wanted to followtheir religion and if they’re not comfortable, they’re at liberty to moveout. I have been in the Army for 26 years and that’s the discipline Iunderstand that everyone has to shave, barring Sikh gentlemen,” he said.
The student organisations staged a protest against the incident.