When 48-year-old Anas Naina enrolled his youngest daughter to a school near his house in June this year, he said he had both her future and safety in mind. The 13-year-old joined class 8 in St Rita’s Public School in Ernakulam’s Palluruthy in the ongoing academic year. He decided to shift his daughter to a new school as the walk to and from her previous school had been through an unsafe area. A Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) accredited school run by nuns belonging to the Latin Catholic Church, St Rita’s is just 300 metres from their house.
A pre-degree holder, Anas said he values education highly and hopes to secure bright futures for his children. Of his five children, four of whom are girls, one is pursuing a Masters’ degree in the United Kingdom, another is studying Medicine in Russia, and a third is a class 12 student. But a series of events in October this year has left his youngest under great stress and mental agony.
What began as an issue between the 13-year-old student and her school over wearing a hijab (headscarf) spiraled into a communal flashpoint that garnered attention across Kerala, exposing the deepening fault lines between religion and politics in the state.
The birth of a controversy
Just 2 kilometres from Palluruthy, on the outskirts of Kochi city, stands St Rita’s School, where over 100 Muslim students study alongside children from other faiths. But on October 7, Anas’ daughter’s attempt to wear a headscarf to school, along with her uniform, ignited a controversy that soon left the school compound and entered the public arena.
St Rita’s School held its annual Arts Day on October 7. The student, believing that the headscarf wouldn’t obstruct her uniform as there were no formal classes, arrived in school in a shawl wrapped around her head like a hijab. A teacher allegedly rebuked her for this, and her father was called to the school.
Anas said that he was not aware of the school’s rule against hijabs. “She draped a blue shawl around her head, the same colour as the uniform’s jacket. We didn’t even know that it was not allowed in the school. If we knew this earlier, we would never have taken admission there,” he said. A hijab covers the hair, ears, and neck of the wearer.
At the school, Anas was greeted not just by the teachers and management, but also the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA) president, Joshy Kaithavalappil. The discussion soon took an accusatory tone, Anas said, with Joshy allegedly communalising the issue.
As per Anas, he waited an hour and a half at the school to get a response. “When we were speaking to the teachers, it was the PTA president who answered the questions. He even said that my daughter should either not wear the shawl or leave the school,” he alleged. He also said that it was the PTA president’s responses that prompted him to tell his daughter to wear a shawl to school again.
On October 10, he sent his daughter to school agai n wearing a shawl. An argument ensued, involving the parents, school management, PTA president, and others present there.
Speaking to the media, the school’s principal Sr Heleena said that the student’s father arrived at the school with a few others and began shouting and filming a live video. “They used abusive language while classes were in session,” she said.
“We have a prescribed uniform in the school, and all should maintain that uniformity. We had informed students of this at the time of admission. The student had followed the school’s dress code for four months. But one day, she flouted the uniform. We asked her to remove the hijab in a loving way, and she complied. The next day, her mother came to school and we informed her that the student had to follow the rules and regulations,” said Sr Heleena.
Advocate Ameen Hassan, the student’s lawyer, alleged the school’s PTA president, along with members of far-right Christian groups, entered the school compound while Anas was speaking to the authorities about his daughter being denied entry to the classroom. “They recorded a video and publicised it. It was the PTA president who first made this matter public, and that’s how it escalated,” he said, adding, “In my view, the issue flared up because of how the PTA president and the principal handled it.”
The PTA president, Joshy Kaithavalappil, from his social media posts, seems to be an ardent supporter of the far-right Christian group, Christian Association and Alliance for Social Action (CASA).
Notably, Joshy also serves as the Ernakulam district general secretary of the National People’s Party (NPP). In October 2025, the Kerala unit of the NPP officially joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Joshy repeated the principal’s version of events. He told TNM that Anas and his companions refused to have a calm discussion inside the office and instead created a scene.
Refuting the allegations, Anas explained to TNM, “On October 10, I went to the school with my wife, and not any politician. When we asked for the transfer certificate (TC), the Physical Training (PT) teacher Arjun told the principal, ‘Give them the TC and mark something she should not get admission anywhere.’ By this time, someone came to the school, and he happened to be a worker of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).”
Muhammed Usman, SDPI’s Thripunithura mandalam secretary, said that SDPI was not directly involved in the matter. “When the school management was being disrespectful, [Anas] called his friend, who in turn called another person, an SDPI worker. There was no protest or march. In fact, the father didn’t even know those people were coming.”
The issue became public knowledge when the school management declared a two-day holiday on October 13 and 14 (Monday and Tuesday) to prevent ‘unrest’. On October 13, the Kerala High Court also granted police protection to the school, following a plea by the management.
Daubing communal colours
What could have been resolved through dialogue between parents and the school management quickly escalated into a state-wide debate. Within days, political groups, religious outfits, and social media voices turned the issue into a battleground of identity and ideology.
The PTA president Joshy Kaithavalappil accused leaders of the SDPI of politicising the matter, while the SDPI raised the alleged involvement of far-right Christian groups, including CASA.
Muhammed Usman, SDPI’s Thripunithura Mandalam secretary, said that the two-day holiday given by the school, for reasons of safety, only served to escalate the issue. “When the issue occurred, the police arrived at the school. If there had been any problem, they could have taken action then. The management still granted two days' leave, and many parents who weren't even aware of the issue found out about it,” Usman alleged.
On October 13, Ashraf K Hameed, president of SDPI’s Thripunithura Mandalam Committee, issued a press statement denying any involvement in the issue by the party.
Joshy also shared multiple Facebook posts on the matter, including a post by CASA, which even cited the PTA as saying that the issue was created by a “banned terror organisation”. He also gave multiple video bites to news channels alleging that when called to the school, Anas arrived with SDPI leaders and created an atmosphere of terror.
Meanwhile, the cyber space saw the school’s principal, Sr Heleena, face abuse from various quarters. Anas too faced allegations, including the accusation that he is not prioritising the education of his child. A prominent Malayalam news channel aired a video that said he gives more importance to religion than to education. The channel even said that he had changed her school multiple times for the same reason.
Anas denied these allegations. He told TNM that he changed his daughter’s school this June due to safety concerns, as the previous school is situated in a desolate area located between shrimp farms. “St Rita’s is barely 300 metres away from our home. So, we thought it would be safe for her. I never imagined it would take such a turn,” he said.
Advocate Ameen said, “Anas is not someone who does not give importance to studies. His three older daughters studied in Christian management schools, and no such issues occurred there.”
Politicians and government intervene
When the issue made news, state Education Minister V Sivankutty declared that "anything that hides school uniform cannot be allowed”. As the controversy grew, district Congress leaders and MP Hibi Eden intervened to hold a discussion with the parents and school management. Following this, Anas told the MP that his daughter would comply with the school’s dress code.
Later that day, however, Minister Sivankutty changed his initial stance and directed the school to permit the student to wear a hijab. He also ordered an inquiry by the Deputy Director of Education. The inquiry report submitted on October 13 mentioned that the school’s rules had not prohibited the hijab. It said that the school management failed to answer why the manual does not mention hijabs. The report also found that the criteria for the selection of the PTA committee is substandard.
“The action of the principal, who did not allow the student to enter the classroom, is a clear violation of the Right to Education Act. The school’s action can also be viewed as a serious lapses and it is against the fundamental religious rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution,” the report read.
Further, the order permitted the student to wear a hijab. However, later the father said, they decided to obtain a transfer certificate (TC) from the school. In a Facebook post, he said his daughter had suffered mental agony over the issue.
PK Kunhalikutty, the national general secretary of Indian National Muslim League (IUML) has described this issue as a “shame on secular Kerala”. IUML responded to this issue on October 18, over a week after the incident. He said some “divisive forces” were trying to fuel this issue and that’s why the party refrained from responding early.
Currently, the matter is under the consideration of the Kerala High court. Justice VG Arun sought the state’s clarification on the issue on October 17, while considering the petition filed by the school arguing that the Kerala government has not enacted any law permitting religious attire in educational institutions, and that enforcing such directives would undermine the secular and inclusive ethos of schools.
‘Not a new issue’
After the issue became a topic of discussion, many questioned why the student suddenly sought permission to wear a hijab in October even though classes had begun in June.
Ameen told TNM that the parents learned that the hijab is not allowed at St Rita’s only after the child was enrolled in the school. “She used to wear a hijab on her way to school and remove it when she entered the classroom. Since this caused some inconveniences to her, she told her parents, and her mother talked to the school principal a few times. Even afterwards, she continued to wear a shawl until she entered the class,” he said.
Ameen further said that the decision to not allow hijab in class was not dictated by the Latin Catholic Church. “No other schools in the area restrict the hijab,” he said.
Speaking to TNM, a nun who belongs to a different congregation that too runs a school in Ernakulam said, “For years, most convent schools have not allowed students to wear headscarves. There have always been requests from parents and students to revise these rules; some managements made exceptions, while others held on to old practices. It isn’t a new issue; but this time, it escalated because external communal forces from both sides got involved.”
Following this incident, a parent of two children who are studying in St Rita’s decided to shift their children to another school. The parent, Jesna S Firdous wrote on Facebook that the stance taken by the school principal and the PTA president was deeply frightening to them. She mentioned that the new school she enrolled her children in is also run by a Christian management, yet is more inclusive. Jesna said that a nun who works in the new school assured her that the children would not face any difficulties there.
‘PTA president acted unilaterally’
Meanwhile, other parents, including members of PTA, alleged that the PTA president intervened and gave provocative media bites without discussing the issue with them. “Being the PTA president, he should have stood with all parents and at least spoken on our behalf,” Jameer Eshack, a parent and a PTA executive member, told TNM.
Jameer is currently proceeding with a case against Joshy for his “provocative and communal statements.” He has filed complaints with the Chief Minister, the Education Department, and the police. He further said, “After the incident, many of Joshy’s statements, including his Facebook posts, were highly polarising. Some information was even given out as the decisions of the PTA. But we were never informed of anything. After I asked about the issue in our WhatsApp group, the name of the group was changed from ‘PTA executive members 2025-26’ to ‘PTA members 2025-26’.” Members no longer speak in the group, Jameer added.
Old tensions, new triggers
Nearly two years ago, tensions had already surfaced in the same locality over an unrelated issue — the renaming of Kalluchira Road to St Augustine’s Convent Road. The new name was introduced as a tribute to the convent that established a school, a medical centre, and other community services in what was once a rural area.
According to Joshy, “After the convent was established there, they built a school, a medical centre, and more. It was decided to name the road after the convent as a tribute to their work,” he said.
However, SDPI leaders contested this, alleging that residents were unaware of the name change. Residents protested the decision, which is now pending consideration before the Kerala High Court.
Shamsudheen, a 60-year-old resident who has lived in the area for four decades, told TNM, “The road’s name was changed without our permission or consent. All our documents, like Aadhaar, identity cards, passports, ration cards, and land deeds, carry the name Kalluchira. Imagine how much time, effort, and money it takes to update everything. Our problem is not the new name itself, but the inconvenience it causes.”
SDPI leader Usman alleged, “When residents, including members of the Muslim community, protested the name change, CASA tried to make it a communal issue. Now with this hijab matter, they are doing it again under Joshy’s leadership.”
However, PR Rachana, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and the ward member representing the area, dismissed such claims. “There is no link between the road issue and the current hijab controversy. Since the earlier issue didn’t blow up like they expected it to, some people are trying to bring up another matter now. The media shouldn’t fall for this manipulation,” she told TNM.
This report was republished from The News Minute as part of The News Minute-Newslaundry alliance. Read about our partnership here and become a subscriber here.
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