A recent request made by seven Muslim MBBS girl students of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College via a letter, seeking permission for wearing a hijab-like attire inside operation theatres has kicked off communal debates. Now the students are being reportedly coerced to seek a probe into leak of the letter
The students had made the request to the principal through the letter dated June 26. A purported copy of the letter was shared on Twitter by a user @HKupdate. Health Minister Veena George said on Friday that no political decision needed to be taken on the matter as it was purely technical. “The discussions on the matter are unwarranted. The hospital authorities would take a decision considering the international protocols and safety requirements,” she said.
The letter signed by seven MBBS students said that “they may be allowed to wear surgical hoods and long-sleeve scrub jackets in operation theatres so that they could maintain a balance between the religious stipulations and operation room regulations”. After this, the principal explained to them the reasons behind the dress code in operation theatres and gave them the assurance that a panel of surgeons would be formed to look into the matter.
The college students’ union has lodged a police complaint seeking a probe. Muslim Students Forum secretary K Thohani said it was unfortunate that a request by a group of students through a proper channel was being discussed on social media vis-à-vis the ideologies of Sangh Parivar and RSS.