Forty students, 39 of them Muslim, were made to sit separately, on the terrace, during their Class XII final exam at a school here on Wednesday.

Their parents, and Islamia Karimiya Girls Higher Secondary School where they study, alleged the girls were made to sit separately because of their religion.

Bengali Higher Secondary School, designated as a centre for the Madhya Pradesh Examination Board Class XII exams, and district education authorities denied bias on the basis of religion and said the segregation was driven by Covid-19-related protocols.

District education officer Rajendra Makwana said: “The administration has issued orders… for making separate seating arrangements for students coming from containment areas.”

“We did not make these 40 students sit in an open space under the scorching sun. In fact they sat on a dais, which has a roof,” Makwana said. He pointed out that one of the students was a Hindu.

The official said students are made to sit according to their roll numbers and not by taking into account their names. “That is why the question of discrimination does not arise,” he added.