Mangaluru College Suspends Six Students For Wearing Hijabs, 15 Sent Back At University Campus
The Hijab row that has been going on in Karnataka since January this year is refusing to die down even after the High Court order, banning them on campuses.
On Thursday, the Uppinangadi Government Pre University College suspended six Muslim students for wearing hijabs on the campus despite a series of warnings not to.
Students refused to comply with HC order
According to the College authorities, the 6 girl students were informed about the government order and the decision of the High Court prohibiting the wearing of hijab in classrooms, but they refused to comply.
The College principal decided to suspend the students after holding a meeting with the faculty.
Following the suspension, as more students came to college wearing hijab on Thursday, another section of students wore saffron shawl in protest and demanded they should not be allowed to enter classes, forcing the police to intervene.
Authorities did not allow both hijab and saffron shawl-wearing students to attend classes.
In the interim order in February, the Karnataka High Court had banned the wearing of all kinds of religious symbols including hijabs and saffron shawls on campuses.
15 hijab-wearing students sent back by Mangalore University
In a related development on Thursday, the University College in Mangaluru sent back about 15 girl students who came to college wearing the headscarves.
The Mangalore University College had allowed Muslim students to attended classes wearing Hijabs even after the High Court order in March.
On May 16, the University syndicate had amended its uniform policy to impose a?total ban on Muslim students and faculty members wearing hijabs?on campus.
However it was not implemented, resulting in protests by ABVP-affiliated students last week.
The Muslim students had claimed that the headscarf was part of the uniform for the students who wear it and that they were even allowed to appear for the exams wearing hijabs.
Karnataka hijab row
The Hijab row in Karnataka was started by 6 students of Udupi Pre-University Government Girl's College who claimed that they were being denied entry for wearing headscarves.
The row then spread to other colleges and later across Karnataka.
On March 15, the Karnataka High Court had dismissed petitions filed by a group of Muslim students, seeking permission to wear hijab inside classrooms.
The three-judge bench noted that the prescription of school uniform is only a reasonable restriction, constitutionally permissible, which the students cannot object to.
Following the High Court order, the Department of Pre-University Education has made uniforms prescribed by the College Development Committee, compulsory for Pre-University (PU) students from the 2022-23 academic year.
It also states that in case no uniform is prescribed by the College Development Committee or management, students must wear a garment which will "maintain equality and unity, and which does not disturb public order".
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