A school science exhibition in Chamarajanagar district, Karnataka, has triggered a major controversy after a viral video showed a Class IV student making religious statements linking women’s clothing to their afterlife fate. The incident has led to widespread criticism and an official inquiry by the state’s Education Department.
In the video, the young student can be seen presenting a project featuring two dolls — one dressed in a burqa and placed in a flower-adorned coffin, and another in short clothes lying in a coffin filled with snakes and scorpions.
The student claims that wearing a burqa ensures purity and protection after death, while those who wear revealing clothes face suffering in hell.
As noted by News 18, she quotes Islamic teachings, saying, “A woman behind a purdah is as pure as a martyr, who sheds blood. A woman behind purdah, she is capable of any Halal work and purdah is not an obstacle, but it is a way to lead her towards Jannat.”
She further adds, “The biggest advantage of purdah is that a woman doesn’t see a man and the man doesn’t see her. A woman who roams around without purdah, and the husband who doesn’t question her, are not meant to be a couple at all. Any man who permits his wife to be without the purdah is a dayyus (cuckold), and Allah doesn’t accept the prayers of such a person.”
The viral video has triggered heated reactions online. As Asianet News highlights, Some questioned the presence of religious messaging at a science exhibition, with one user asking, “What is scientific about this?” and another writing, “Science is based on evidence. Someone should have asked her for proof. Unfortunately, no one did.”
Others defended the child, arguing that she was simply reflecting what she had been taught. One user commented, “Mocking a nine-year-old child for expressing her faith-based understanding only reflects your intolerance, not her upbringing.”
Another speculated that the project originated from a “local madrasa or tuition centre beside a masjid” and that the issue was being “blown out of proportion.”
Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) Rajendra Raje Urs stressed the need to understand the context before making conclusions. “We need to understand the context first. Once that is clear, I will provide you with full clarity today itself,” he stated.
