Karnataka College Declares Holiday After Protest Over Students Wearing Hijab Being Denied Entry

The Karnataka High Court started hearing petitions challenging the ban on hijab in educational institutions across the state for the fourth day on Wednesday.

Karnataka College Declares Holiday Amid Protest After Students Wearing Hijab Denied Entry | Getty

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing row over wearing of hijab at educational institutes, SJMV College for Women in Hubli declared a holiday after several students staged a protest refusing to attend classes without the headscarf on Wednesday.

Lingaraj Angadi, principal of SJMV College for Women in Hubli, as quoted by news agency ANI, said, “Today we've followed the High Court's (interim) order in which it is clear that they (students) have to follow the dress code. But some students said they'll not come without Hijab...so we've declared a holiday.”

Karnataka| Today we've followed the High Court's (interim) order in which it is clear that they (students) have to follow the dress code. But some students said they'll not come without Hijab...so we've declared a holiday: Lingaraj Angadi, SJMV College for Women in Hubli pic.twitter.com/6H7KsOQiCy

— ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2022

Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court started hearing petitions challenging the ban on hijab in educational institutions across the state for the fourth day on Wednesday.

Senior Advocate and Professor Ravivarma Kumar, appearing for the petitioner, referring to the Karnataka Education Act, put across his point saying that the rule notifies that when the educational institution intends to change a uniform, it has to issue a notice to the parents one year in advance. “If there is a ban on Hijab, it should inform one year in advance,” Kumar added.

Kumar, during his argument in the hearing, also said that there are hundreds of religious symbols in all the sections of the society. So, why is the government picking on hijab alone and making it a hostile discrimination?

Later, advocate Kumar also referred to the AIR 1953 Supreme Court, 384.

BC Nagesh, Karnataka Minister of Primary & Secondary Education, however, said that he is happy that most of the schools across the state are running properly, barring a few, where the students had to be sent back. 

I am happy that all schools are running properly and almost all the students have attended the classes, while only in 2-3 schools the girls went back: BC Nagesh, Karnataka Minister of Primary & Secondary Education as schools & colleges reopen amid Hijab row pic.twitter.com/F76vgqAfb0

— ANI (@ANI) February 16, 2022

Notably, protest erupted after the college administration of SJMV College for Women, stopped the students who forcefully entered the classrooms wearing hijab and burkhas. After being asked to leave by the teachers and the college principal, the students staged an agitation and raised slogans of "we want justice", expressing their anguish to the mediapersons present at the spot. 

Later, some women police personnel also had to be roped in to tackle the situation.