Hijab row: 60 students return home from Udupi college

Mangaluru, February 17

Around 60 final year students of the government G Shankar memorial women’s first grade degree college in Udupi on Thursday returned home after they were told to take off their hijabs by college authorities.

Though the Muslim girl students argued with the authorities saying the chief minister had clarified that uniforms are not mandatory in degree colleges, the authorities said it is the college development committee that fixed the rules.

The girls, who insisted that they would not attend classes without the headscarves, said hijab and education are important to them. They also wanted the college committee to give in writing if the state government had decided to introduce dress code in degree colleges.

A girl student who talked to reporters said the CM had made it clear that the hijab rule is not enforced in degree colleges. “When we asked about it, they say only college committee’s decision applies here,” she said.

She said hijab is part of their lives and they have been wearing it all along to classes. “It cannot be removed when someone suddenly asks you to do it. We have asked the college to hold online classes for us,” the student said.

The students said they would not attend physical classes till the high court took a decision.

Classes are being conducted smoothly in the college. Police force has been deployed on the college premises to check any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, Udupi additional superintendent of police Siddalingappa told the media that the situation at all the colleges in the district is peaceful on the second day of reopening.

He said the Muslim girl students who were willing to remove hijabs were allowed to attend classes at the government G Shankar college. The MGM college, which had declared holiday till Thursday, will reopen on Friday for examinations.