Karnataka Hijab Row: Don’t Want Education Institutions To Become Warfield, Says Minister Nagesh

Hijab Row: Karnataka Minister BC Nagesh today has reacted to the ongoing controversy erupted in Karnataka for banning hijabs inside classrooms.

New Delhi: Karnataka education minister BC Nagesh on Thursday has reacted to the ongoing controversy of uniforms in Karnataka's Udupi. The controversy was sparked when Muslim girls wearing hijab weren't allowed into the classroom of a college in Udipi.

"We didn't want the education institution to become the Warfield of two communities. It's a sacred place and every student should feel equal. We took a clear stand that this should not be done at the premises of the institutions," the minister said in a statement as tweeted by news agency ANI. 

“We’ve said we will form the committee which will give the final report by next academic year and the government will take a firm stand on that. They were not wearing the hijab earlier and this problem started only 20 days ago,” Nagesh added.

The 'hijab' controversy, which is ongoing for almost a month at a pre-university college for girls in Udupi's Kundapur, Karnataka, has spread to other colleges in the state as well.

The incident took place on January 1 when six Muslim girls in Udupi were prevented from attending classes at a government college for wearing hijabs as it was against the uniform policies of the institute.

One of these students has also filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court demanding the right to wear hijab inside the class.  

Meanwhile, a group of Hindu boys studying in pre-university colleges in Kundapur in Udipi district and Government First Grade College Shivamogga's Bhadravathi started protesting in saffron shawls demanding that Muslim students should not be allowed to wear hijab. Students were also seen raising slogans of Jai Shri Ram in College.

The hijab controversy at Kundapur Pre-University College in Udupi continued on Thursday as well. The principal of the college himself had stopped the hijab-wearing girl students from entering the campus. Principal Ramakrishna stopped the girl students near the college gate.

After which the girl students demanded to know why the sudden ban was being imposed on wearing hijab. Whereas earlier, there were no such rules. One of the girl students has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking the right to wear a hijab inside the classroom.

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