VIJAYAWADA: Even as neighbouring Karnataka state is on the boil with agitations and counter agitations over hijab, a related incident was reported at a college in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. However, the issue was resolved quickly before any controversy could be created to blow it up.
It started with three girl students coming to the class late by 10 minutes at the Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada. College principal Father GAP Kishore said two of the girls, both second-year BSc students, arrived in their traditional dress, which is normally removed in the girls’ waiting room before they enter the class rooms. “This has been the practice in the college for several years and is followed by the students and staff as well,” he said.
However, the two girls reportedly refused to follow the rule and insisted on attending classes wearing their burqas. When denied permission, they went back and returned with a representative of the community instead of their parents, and also alerted the media with a couple of video clips.
Krishna district collector J Nivas, Vijayawada police commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata, and other senior officials, who were also alerted by the video clips of the girls accusing the college for asking them to remove their hijab, contacted the college principal over phone.
Speaking to TOI, Vijayawada police chief Kanthi Rana Tata said the faculty and students remove their traditional attire such as hijab and burkha in the girls’ waiting room before entering their respective classes. “But today, the two girls were late in reaching the college, and when the principal asked them to remove their traditional attire and rush to their classes, they did not follow the instructions,” he said.
Father Kishore said the college’s code of conduct stipulates that all students must wear their respective uniforms.
“This has been the practice for many years. Today when I was on my rounds, three students including the two girls were waiting outside the class as they were late. I asked them to remove their veils in the waiting room and attend the classes in their uniforms. But they said that their parents will object. The issue was blown out of proportion but has been resolved now,” he said.
