Fact Check: TN students throwing dupattas not a protest against school uniforms

Hyderabad: A video showing students throwing pieces of clothes from a school building has gone viral on social media. Those sharing the video claim that schoolgirls threw their dupattas in protest against 'north Indian school uniforms' and patriarchy.

Ashok Swain, Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University tweeted the video and wrote, “Girls studying in a school for tribals (indigenous people) in Tamil Nadu are throwing away their dupattas (scarves) in protest against school uniforms that they think north Indian and patriarchal!”

Several other Twitter and Facebook shared the video claiming the same.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the girls threw their dupattas as a welcome gesture to author Geeta Ilangovan who was invited to address them. On performing a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, we found the stills from the video in an article published by One India Tamil on March 12. It said schoolgirls of a government boarding school at Kalvarayan hills in Tamil Nadu greeted the writer Geetha Ilangovan by throwing their dupattas when she went to meet the students.

We also found the video reported by India Today. It said author Geetha Ilangovan’s articles published under the name Her Stories were translated into Tamil and given the name Dupatta Podung Thozhi (wear you, dupatta friend). The articles talked about how women are dictated to behave and were enslaved. When Ilangovan visited the school in Kalvarayan hills, the students welcomed her by throwing their dupattas from the building.

Geeta Ilangovan also posted the video on Instagram on March 13. In the caption, she stated being given an unforgettable welcome.

It is evident that the video does not show schoolgirls protesting against school uniforms or patriarchy. Hence, we conclude that the viral claim is misleading.