Mumbai, Nov. 5 -- Parents of around 20 students of the St. Anthony Girls' High School in Chembur complained to the education department that their daughters were not allowed to attend classes since they had applied mehendi on their hands. The school responded that it had merely asked the students to wait in the hall since they had failed to follow a few school discipline rules. In their letter to the education department, parents called the school's actions discriminatory and unfair, prompting the department to initiate an inquiry into the matter. The school responded that some students were asked to wait in the hall because they did not follow school rules about bringing leave notes, getting their ID cards, wearing a complete uniform, or submitting medical certificates after being ill. Among the students waiting in the hall, some had mehendi on their hands, the school added. The school explained that once parents submitted the necessary documents-ID cards, leave notes, and medical certificates-the students were sent back to their classrooms. Karn Doonbale, general secretary of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), who visited the school after receiving complaints from parents, said, "I am an eyewitness to the incident. Around 20 students were stopped by the school authorities, and only after the intervention of an education officer did the school provide a written explanation." The education department Officials said a detailed report will be submitted after reviewing all statements and documents....