The row over allowing hijab in the classroom has impacted one more college in the coastal belt with the Government First Grade College at Car Street in Mangaluru city declaring holiday on March 5 after some hijab-clad girls insisted that they be allowed to appear for the internal examinations while some students opposed it.
Consequently the college, a lead college among the government colleges in Dakshina Kannada having about 2,000 students, postponed its ongoing internal examinations that had commenced from March 3.
According to the college principal Rajashekar Hebbar, the holiday was declared and the internal examinations postponed indefinitely till the tension eases.
Sources said that the college, which has prescribed uniform to students, was allowing the girls to wear hijab in the classroom till Karnataka High Court announced an interim order banning sporting anything religious in the classroom till its final Order on the matter which is awaited.
Later some hijab-clad students were not attending the classes as the college was not allowing them into the classroom. When the internal examinations began on March 3, some hijab-clad girls insisted that they be permitted to appear for it but the college refused stating that they will be allowed if they removed their hijabs. When their demand continued on March 4, it resulted in a heated exchange of words between the two groups of students on Friday which was brought under control after the police and college teachers intervened.
Later on March 4, a girl Ayub Sheik, studying in second year B.Sc, filed a complaint with Mangaluru North Police accusing four boys and over 15 others of abusing her and preventing the girls from appearing for the examinations on both the days on the campus. She claimed that she was assaulted by them. The girl alleged that they were ABVP activists.
At the same time, a boy also filed a complaint with CEN (Cyber, Economics and Narcotics) Police Station stating that someone had threatened his life by uploading his photograph on social media by writing objectionable contents relating to the college incident. Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar also visited the college on March 4 evening. He said that police are consulting legal experts before taking up the cases and the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada K. V. Rajendra has said that an inquiry will be conducted into the issue.
The complainant said that initially the college principal had allowed the hijab-clad girls to appear for the examinations but later refused bowing to the pressure by the ABVP activists. But the college principal denied the charge. Mr. Hebbar said that he will also file a complaint in this regard. As the tension continued on March 5, the college declared holiday.
