As the hijab versus saffron scarves confrontation spread in Karnataka colleges, two colleges declared a holiday today to avoid communal trouble. Another college allowed the students wearing hijab to enter the premises but were made to sit in separate classrooms and without any lessons.
Today morning, after days of protests at the college gates, the Government Junior PU college in Kundapur of Udupi district allowed the hijab-clad young women students in the college campus. But, it was reported that the management controversially seated them in separate classrooms without being imparted any lessons. College officials said that they were allowed in just to avoid crowding outside the gates.
Ramakrishna GJ, the Principal of the Government Junior PU College, stressed that students will be allowed to attend the classes only after they have removed their headscarf. The protesting women, on the other hand, stood their ground that they would not remove their hijab.
Hijab Controversy spreads like wildfire
A similar incident happened at Kalavara Varadaraj M Shetty Government First Grade College, Kundapur, where the students wearing headscarf were sent back home. Usha Devi, the Vice Principal said that they sent the students back home. They had asked the students to enter their classes after removing the hijab, to which the girls refused. So they were asked to leave. She further added that they have requested the women to wait for the High Court order, which is expected to come the next day.
When pointed to the fact that some students used to wear the hijab previously too, i.e., before the controversy, Usha Devi said that there were a few students previously, who used to attend classes in hijab. They did not have a problem then. She said that the college wanted to avoid any issues and is not under any pressure.
Many students have started coming to college wearing saffron scarves to register their protest against their hijab-wearing fellow students. It is to note that five women from the government pre-university college in Udupi had filed petitions in the High Court questioning the hijab restrictions.
The hijab protests began in January, at the Government Girls PU College in Udupi when six students alleged that they had been prohibited from attending the classes for not removing their headscarf.
Eventually, the protests spread to more colleges in the state, with staff banning the hijab in the educational institution’s premises. From there on, many students have taken a confrontational position and are showing up in saffron scarves and chanting slogans.
On Saturday, the state’s BJP government released an order saying that if the administrative committee has not selected uniform, clothes that disturb equality, integrity and public law and order should not be worn. It further said that the education department has noticed that in some educational institutions, the boys and girls are behaving according to their religious faith, which hurts equality and unity.
The issue has turned political with Congress, the state’s opposition party, accusing the BJP and RSS of trying to stir communal discord in the state.
The government would not allow hijab at educational institutions, said Nalin Kumar Kateel, BJP State President. He said that the state has BJP government and there is no room for hijab. Schools and colleges are temples of mother Saraswathi (the goddess of education) and everyone should abide by the rules and regulations there.
Bringing religion to educational institutions is not right. What students need is education. If someone cannot follow the rules there, they are free to choose their path somewhere else, he added.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi Tweeted that by letting students’ hijab come in the way of their education, we are robbing the future of the daughters of India. Maa Saraswati gives knowledge to all. She doesn’t differentiate.
