NEW DELHI, Feb16: The six students of Government Pre University College for Girls in Udupi, the original petitioners in the Karnataka High Court seeking direction to the college to allow them to wear hijab in classrooms, continue to stay away from classes.
They did not go to the college on Wednesday when the colleges reopened after remaining closed since February 9.
The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing petitions challenging the ban on hijab in some educational institutions in the state, on the fourth day. The court will assemble again on Thursday to hear the rest of writ petitions.
Senior Advocate and Professor Ravi Varma Kumar, appearing for the petitioners, refered to the Karnataka Education Act and stated that the rule notifies that when educational institution intends to change uniform, it has to issue notice one year in advance to parents. “If there is a ban on hijab, it should inform one year in advance,” he added. Pointing out that there are hundreds of religious symbols in all sections of the society, Kumar asked: “Why are they picking only on the hijab? Is it being used for discrimination based on religion?”
Earlier in the day, chaos prevailed in several pre-university colleges when they which were opened after remaining shut for a week owing to the hijab row, as the Burqa-clad Muslim students were not let in.
The controversy over the dress code had originated in Government Pre University College for Girls in Udupi before spreading to other parts of Karnataka. The controversy erupted at the college after 12 girls submitted a memorandum to the principal on December 30 to allow them to wear hijab in classrooms. Later, six of them agreed to attend classes without the hijab while the remaining six have not been attending the classes since then. Other Muslim girls in the same college attended classes on Wednesday after removing the burqa and hijab after entering the campus, like they used to earlier.
Meanwhile, classes resumed in pre-university colleges in Kundapura, Udupi district, which had witnessed protests by students wearing hijab and saffron shawls last week. A lecturer of the Government Pre University College in Kundapura said classes went on as usual along with preparatory examinations for Class 10 students. The pre-university college and the high school are in the same premises.
Some Muslim students at the pre-university college came with hijab and removed it in a separate room before entering the classroom while some did not come to the campus demanding to be allowed to wear the hijab.
Classes were conducted at Bhandarkars’ Pre University College and R.N. Shetty Pre University College in Kundapura. Outsiders have been barred from entering the premises of these two colleges. “The atmosphere in the college is tense now. With presence of police, we feel like being in a restricted place,” said some students.
(Manas Dasgupta)