Students outside the school allege they were not allowed to enter because of the haircut.

(Source: ANI_news/Twitter) Students outside the school allege they were not allowed to enter because of the haircut.(Source: ANI_news/Twitter)

A school in Meerut has reportedly imposed gender segregation in its classrooms to avoid ‘love-jihad’. The Rishabh Academy Co-Educational English Medium School, affiliated to the CBSE, has separate classrooms for boys and girls, The Times of India reported on Friday.

Secretary of the school management committee, Ranjeet Jain, said the move was to ensure the ‘safety of girls’ and to prevent ‘love jihad’. “Muslim boys take on names similar to Hindus, befriend girls, tie ‘kalavas’ on their wrists and try to woo girls. I cannot tolerate this in school premises. Moreover, these days nobody likes if a boy from one community touches a girl from another community,” Jain was quoted as saying by TOI.

Moreover, the school has also asked its students to adopt a hairstyle similar to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and to avoid keeping a beard as this wasn’t a madrassa. On Thursday, TOI reports, some students were not allowed to enter school because they did not have proper haircuts. “… the students have been told strictly to not keep beards as this is not a madrassa or a place where they come to offer namaz.”

Clarifying on his ‘haircut’ statement after parents of students started protesting the move, Jain said he asked students to adopt haircuts like those in the army. “I had asked the students to remain in discipline, and get ‘Fauji cut’,” he told ANI.

The school also prohibits students from bringing non-vegetarian food in lunch boxes as the school is run by a Jain trust. The school also carries out surprise checks to make sure none of the rules are flouted.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd