Shimla convent school allows students to wear turban

Shimla, April 28 (IANS) An over one-and-half-month old controversy over wearing of full-sized turban by Sikh students ended Saturday with a prominent boys' school here allowing them to wear the headgear, an official said.

"The principal has given the assurance that now students can wear the full turban," Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naresh Kumar Lath said.

Gurleen Singh, a Sikh student of Class 12 was verbally told by the principal to wear only 'patka' (under-turban) in St. Edward's school, which barred the students from wearing the full-sized turban.

"The principal gave us in writing that the students will be allowed to wear the full-sized turbans from Monday," Jaspal Singh told IANS.

Parents of some Sikh students approached the local administration Thursday on the issue after the school refused to withdraw its March 2 order. They said the students had been wearing 'patka' in the school since then.

Shimla Deputy Commissioner Onkar Sharma had directed school principal John Bosco to settle the issue on priority.

St Edward's School has been a prominent boys' school in Shimla since March 9, 1925, in the Milsington Estate. Brother J.C. Doheny was its founder principal.

The school boasts of alumni like Vice President M. Hamid Ansari, former cricketer Kapil Dev, former Punjab Police chief K.P.S. Gill and union minister and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh.