Karnataka: College Principal Stops Hijab-Wearing Students From Entering Premises | Watch Video

Hijab row: Standing at the gate of the college, College Principal Ramakrishna himself stopped the students and told them not to attend classes if they intended to wear headscarves inside the classrooms.

Udupi: Nearly a month after students donning hijab were denied entry in the Udupi government college, Muslim girls wearing hijab were once again stopped from entering Kundapur’s Pre-University College on Thursday. The incident comes after students of two Karnataka colleges on Wednesday wore saffron scarves as a way of protesting against Muslim girls attending classes wearing hijabs.

Standing at the gate of the college, College Principal Ramakrishna himself stopped the students and told them not to attend classes if they intended to wear headscarves inside the classrooms, following which the students demanded to know why wearing a hijab is being banned all of a sudden as there were no such rules before. The girl students argued that they have been coming to the college in hijab for a long time and they must be permitted. But the entry was denied.

#WATCH | Udupi Hijab row, Karnataka: Students wearing hijab being denied entry at Bhandarkars' College Kundapura pic.twitter.com/JNOqk3LeIx

— ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2022

Ramakrishna told the students he was not denying them their right to have their education, but he was acting based on the direction of the college development committee president and Kundapur MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty. The principal said that Shetty had directed him to not to allow any sort of additional attire other then specified uniform.

MV Govt College in Bhadravati Sees Similar ‘Saffron Scarves’ Protests

Similarly, at the M Vishweshwaraiah Government Arts and Commerce College in Bhadravati of Shivamogga district, some Hindu students attended classes in saffron shawls on Wednesday, protesting against Muslim students wearing hijab.

The protesting students have demanded that if hijab and burqa are permitted, then saffron shawls must also be allowed in the classrooms.

The college authorities have said that the uniform code has been in place since 2010, and that the students have to compulsorily wear the uniform only. A separate room has been provided by the college authorities to Muslim students to change into the uniform, IANS reported.