New Delhi: On Wednesday, February 16, several pre-university colleges in Karnataka reopened after remaining shut for a week as the ban of hijab in classrooms led to a countrywide row.
The Karnataka high court, which is hearing pleas from six pre-university college students in Udupi who were barred from classrooms, has in the meantime given an interim order asking students to not insist on wearing religious clothing in educational institutions.
Reports from across the state show that in some colleges Muslim girl students missed class after being asked by authorities to remove burqas and hijabs.
Journalist Nikhila Henry tweeted a video from a Bellari college where Muslim students in headscarves were not allowed in. Unwilling to take them off, they allegedly left college for the day.
Students of Salara Devi College Bellari say they were not allowed inside classes in headscarf. Unwilling to attend classes without hijab, a section of Muslim students have left the college. @TheQuint pic.twitter.com/Ox7hUGiFft
— Nikhila Henry (@NikhilaHenry) February 16, 2022
Policemen have been deployed in and around pre-university colleges at many places.
In Udupi district, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been clamped around some colleges.
The six petitioners who have moved the Karnataka high court were absent from class, principal of the government PU college for women at Udupi, Rudre Gowda told PTI.
Other Muslim students “removed hijabs before entering classrooms,” PTI reported.
The 23 girl students who protested for the right to wear hijab at the government pre-university college at Kundapur in the district did not attend classes either. It is not clear if they were kept from attending class or chose to be absent. These students were made to sit in a separate room last week when they refused to remove headscarves before entering classes.
Classes did not resume at the MGM college at Manipal in Udupi, which saw pitched protests on the hijab issue.
Muslim students were only allowed to enter classes after removing hijabs at the G. Shankar government women’s first grade college at Ajjarkad in the district. Those who refused were made to sit in a separate classroom. The students said that they had worn hijabs to classes all through the academic year and the new decision has come all of a sudden.
Media glare on G Shankar Govt Women's College, Udupi where students wearing hijab were taken to the principal's office. Few students said they are leaving today and will decide on returning when High Court decision is made. College principal says hijab was previously worn here. pic.twitter.com/jAmtzypzW4
— Prajwal (@prajwalmanipal) February 16, 2022
In Sagara government pre-university college in Shivamogga district, the college authorities announced a holiday for the day.
At DVS College in the same district, girls who were not allowed into the college told reporters that they were missing an exam.
“For us, practising our faith is as important as education and burqa is part of our faith. We will not let anyone remove it,” PTI quoted an unnamed student as having said.
In Vijayapura, students were not let inside the campus when they refused to remove their burqa. Similar incidents happened in Bijapur, Kalaburagi and Yadgir.
As high schools reopened in Karnataka on Monday, February 15, reports had surfaced from across the state showing students and teachers allegedly being forced to remove their burqas and hijabs outside the gates of educational institutions.