Hindu student barred from attending classed by school authorities for wearing Ayyappa Deeksha attire

Case ID : a0494c9 | Location : Guruvayur, Kerala, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 31 October, 2025

Case ID : a0494c9

Guruvayur, Kerala, India

31 October, 2025

Hindu student barred from attending classed by school authorities for wearing Ayyappa Deeksha attire

Undecided cases

Case Summary

In the Guruvayoor town of Thrissur, Kerala, a Hindu student of Class 3 was barred from attending classes by school management for wearing black attire during the Ayyappa Deeksha—the traditional black religious clothing worn by devotees during the pilgrimage preparations to Sabarimala. According to reports, the management at the Sree Gokulam Public School barred the student from attending classes for wearing black attire during the Sabarimala vratham (austerity period). Enraged by this, the family of the victim and local community members confronted the school management and held a protest on 11 November 2025. The Hindu Aikyavedi members, a Hindu organisation, held a protest march to the school, carrying a banner that read: “Faith and education are rights of the students guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. What authority does Gokulam School have to deny that?” The child had been observing the Sabarimala vratham since 1 November and, in accordance with custom, wore black clothing. The school administration insisted that only the prescribed uniform was permitted and instructed the parents that the child could not attend without it. As a result, the student remained absent for the next eleven days. While talking to the media, Ginish PG, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Pavaratty–Guruvayoor mandalam general secretary, stated that until 2024, Gokulam School had allowed students to wear black during the Mandala season. In response, school principal Latha Manoj claimed that the institution strictly enforces its uniform policy and denied any wrongdoing beyond policy compliance. Discussions were held between the Hindu Aikyavedi representatives and the school management; however, they failed to reach a resolution, prompting the parents to withdraw the child from the school. The Hindu organisation also announced its intention to approach the court regarding clarity over this issue.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

In this case, the school management refused to grant entry to a Hindu student for wearing the Ayyappa Deeksha attire—the black religious clothes worn by Ayyappa devotees. This decision sparked outrage among the Hindu community. This is not the first time such controversy has erupted. In 2022, in Karnataka, a heated debate erupted when Muslim girls insisted on wearing burqas and hijabs in schools and classrooms. At that time, politicians, social commentators, Hindu activists, and even the judiciary argued that schools have the right to enforce uniform rules. Uniformity was seen as a means to promote harmony and equality within classrooms. Therefore, disallowing hijabs was deemed enforcement of uniform policy rather than religious discrimination. Similar logic can apply here. The school's restriction on wearing the black Ayyappa Deeksha attire may well have been an enforcement of uniform regulations rather than an act motivated by religious bias. However, if the school allowed Muslim students to wear hijabs but barred Hindu students from wearing their religious symbols, it would certainly amount to a hate crime, exposing blatant discrimination and double standards. At present, based on available information, such differential treatment does not appear evident in this case. Therefore, this case is being added to the 'Undecided' database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. If any further information emerges indicating religious bias, it will be reclassified and added to the Hate Crime database.