In a move which is likely to snowball into a major controversy, Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane has demanded a ban on wearing burqa during the class 10 and 12 state board examinations. He has expressed concerns that the full-body covering could facilitate cheating and the smuggling of unauthorised materials into examination halls. Rane has written a letter to school education minister Dada Bhuse saying that allowing girl candidates to wear a burqa inside examination halls could lead to malpractices and also create security issues.
“If examinees are allowed to wear burqas, it will be difficult to determine whether electronic devices or other means are being used to cheat. In case of any untoward incident, it could lead to social and law-and-order issues, affecting many students,” said the BJP minister.