After wearing the Islamic attire of hijab in class on Monday (May 6), the government First Grade College in Uppinangady suspended 24 female students till Saturday. Authorities reportedly issued an order mandating the girls to conform to the college uniform, but the girls insisted on wearing the hijab, according to sources.
The 24 girls were suspended till Saturday after staging a demonstration in which they demanded permission to wear hijab in college, despite a high court ruling in mid-March, following the Karnataka hijab controversy, that all students must adhere to a uniform dress code in schools and colleges. According to the College Development Committee (CDC), girls are not authorised to wear the hijab in the hallways or classrooms.
Speaking on the issue, a college official said, “Yesterday, the girls created a lot of problems in the college by violating uniform rules multiple times despite the CDC and High Court order directing them to wear uniforms. The teachers had a tough time convincing them and they were not ready to listen. Finally, the college principal consulted all the teachers and decided to keep the girls away from classes for four days. The CDC has clearly said that the hijab will not be allowed in classes and the corridor. If the girls still violate the rules, we have no choice but to take strict action.”
The college administration, according to the official, called the parents to the college many times to persuade them of the uniform requirements. Although the parents did not object to the CDC’s decision, the girls remain adamant about wearing the hijab.
The same college, which is associated with Mangalore University, punished six students for two days last week for wearing a hijab. The decision was made after a group of students mounted a protest requesting that the hijab be banned.
Following this incident, BJP politician Yashpal Suvarna and Sri Ram Sena chairman Pramod Muthalik received death threats over social media for opposing the hijab in educational institutions. Yashpal is the vice-president of the Udupi government’s Pre-University College Development Committee. A bounty has been declared on social media on Sri Ram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik.
It is worth noting that the Karnataka High Court issued its judgment in the hijab case brought by Muslim female students in March of this year. According to the court’s judgement, the girls’ claim that the hijab is an essential practice of the Islamic religion was not proven, and students must obey uniform dress code rules wherever mandated by educational institutions.
