UP school asks pupils to sport the Yogi cut

A school in Uttar Pradesh has asked its students from classes 1 to 12 to get a haircut similar to that of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and has also warned against keeping a beard as the school is not a 'madrasa where people offer namaz'.

The matter came to light after the CBSE-affiliated school, Rishabh Academy Co-Educational in Meerut, barred students from entering the school premises because they didn't have the proper haircut, attracting the wrath of parents.

The miffed parents alleged that the school had warned students they would not be allowed to attend school till they got the 'Yogi 'haircut'.

According to media reports, since the school is run by a Jain trust, non-vegetarian food — which includes eggs — is strictly prohibited. To this effect, surprise checks are conducted to see if students are defying the rules.

The management, however, denied the allegations and said its secretary, Ranjeet Jain, had merely asked students to be properly dressed and sport a 'decent' haircut while attending school.

'I asked the students to get Yogi-like haircuts, when they were unable to understand what we wanted. We basically want very short haircuts, of the kind the Army gives its soldiers. I had asked the students to get a 'Fauji cut'. Also, they have been warned against keeping beards," said Ranjeet Jain, Secretary, Rishabh Academy.

The school reportedly has also enforced gender segregation, making boys and girls sit in separate classrooms in order to prevent 'love jihad'. — With inputs from agencies