The interim order from the High Court of Karnataka may have barred students from wearing hijabs and saffron shawls in institutions that have mandated uniforms. But in several educational institutions across the State, even teachers are being asked to remove their hijabs, burqas before they enter institutions.
Chandini Naz, a guest lecturer teaching English at Jain Pre-University College, Tumakuru, resigned from her job on February 16, after she was asked to remove her hijab. She said in her resignation letter that she quit “as you demanded that I remove my hijab which I have been carrying for three years in your college.” She told The Hindu, “The college principal expressed his helplessness as he said the department instructions were to ask teachers to also remove hijab.”
Fathima (named changed), a second division assistant at a government high school and pre-university college in Mysuru district, said she had been wearing hijab at work for many years now, but was shocked when one of her colleagues called the police to get her to remove it. “I am the lone Muslim woman on the campus and did not want to escalate the matter and removed my hijab. But the High Court order clearly does not apply to teachers,” she said.
There have been widespread complaints of not only of teaching and non-teaching staff also being made to remove hijabs on campuses, but even educational institutions that had no uniform prescribed earlier being asked to remove hijab, contrary to the interim order.
The row over dress code has further vitiated the academic atmosphere in Karnataka’s coastal belt with more boys supporting the hijab-clad girls who have been staying away from classes seeking permission to wear hijab in classrooms amid the interim order of the High Court.
Boys join protest
Meanwhile, some boys at the Milagres Degree College in Kallianpur in Udupi and the Government First Grade College, Kavoor, in Mangaluru, stayed away from classes expressing solidarity with hijab-clad girls.
The agitating students at Milagres College gathered outside the gate stating that it is not proper on the part of the college management to prevent hijab-clad girls from attending classes and internal examinations after the interim order of the court as they were being allowed to wear hijab earlier.
When contacted over phone, principal Vincent Alva told The Hindu that the college has not been allowing any dress reflecting religious identity in classrooms since February 17, as per the orders of the Government and the High Court. “We are only following orders of the court and the Government. We have apprised the students of the same,” the principal said. The hijab-clad girls did not attend the internal examinations on Thursday and Friday.
Meanwhile, the MGM Pre University and MGM Degree Colleges in Udupi were re-opened on Friday after remaining closed since February 8. While the pre-university college conducted practical examinations, the degree college conducted its internal examinations. Sources said that some hijab clad girls removed it and attended the examinations as per the dress code of the colleges while some students who were insisting that they should be allowed to wear hijab did not attend the examinations.
Row over tilak
At Indi in Vijayapura district, Bajrang Dal activists began a protest in front of the government PUC college after college authorities stopped a male student who was wearing tilak. However, college authorities said that there were arguments between some students and teachers, but no protest.
