The story so far: A church-run school affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education in Kerala’s Ernakulam district hit the headlines after the parents of a Class 8 student alleged that the management refused to permit her attend classes wearing a hijab (headscarf). The St. Rita’s Public School in Palluruthy in Kochi under the Latin Catholic Church remained closed on October 13 and 14, 2025 to “avoid a possible tense situation triggered by the controversy”. The Kerala High Court asked the Police to provide adequate protection on a plea by the school management against alleged “threats and intrusion by a few against its uniform policy”. The escalating row over political and religious lines eased on October 14, 2025 after the parent agreed to adhere to the rules and regulations prescribed by the management following his parleys with a delegation comprising Hibi Eden, Member of Parliament representing the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency. Kerala’s Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty, who had asked the school management to permit the student attend the classes wearing a hijab on October 14, softened his stance the next day following the conciliatory move while saying that “let the issue be laid to rest, if there is a consensus”.