Amid HC Hearing, Protest Intensifies Outside Karnataka College Among Students Over The Hijab Ban Controversy
Society has time and again tried to control and dictate what women wear and as much as it pisses me of this just doesn’t end. So, I won’t beat around the bush, I’ll just dive right in. Karnataka students have been divided over the recent hijab ban controversy. Several junior colleges barred Muslim students from wearing hijabs to college over the last few weeks. After students protested against the dress code set by the educational institutes, the colleges permitted students to enter the premises wearing the hijab but the Muslim students were seated in a separate room. This segregation of students based on their choice of clothing and their religion led to more anger amongst the students. In fact, a petition has been filed in a Karnataka High Court challenging the hijab ban in educational institutes. The Court will be hearing the plea on Tuesday, February 8.
#WATCH | Protests erupt at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in Udupi as students wearing hijab & another group of students wearing saffron stoles-headgears raise slogans on college campus.
Karnataka HC to hear a plea today against hijab ban in several junior colleges of state. pic.twitter.com/f65loUWFLP
— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2022
Ahead of the High Court hearing, a huge protest has broken out outside the MGM college in the Udipi district of Karnataka. The protest began after hijab-clad Muslim students were seen in the college by extremist groups. In order to protest against the same, the other group of students wearing saffron shawls gathered outside the college with anti-hijab slogans. The students seem to be divided on the issue and while the Muslim students are protesting for their right to wear what they want and practice their religious choices, the extremist group of students seem to be protesting against the same. As per news reports, this has led to a massive showdown amongst the students outside the college campus.
Karnataka: Students wearing hijab allowed entry into the campus of Government PU College, Kundapura today but they will be seated in separate classrooms. Latest visuals from the campus. pic.twitter.com/rEE8HfVzR1
— ANI (@ANI) February 7, 2022
The Karnatak college has declared a holiday due to the ongoing protest ahead of the High Court hearing. The hijab ban has been questioned by the students as it violates their right to freedom of religion which is a fundamental right of every Indian citizen enshrined in Article 25 of the Indian Constitution. While one group of students is chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and protesting against hijab, the hijab-clad Muslim students have questioned the ban and pointed out that had the authorities informed them that they cannot wear hijabs on the campus, they would’ve chosen to go to some other college. Speaking to the media, a student shared that the other group of students has been protesting against their choice to wear a hijab just a week before the exams making it difficult for them to study. Another student question why all this is being done amid the annual exams.
Also Read: Muslim Boys Support Girls’ Right To Wear Hijab Amidst Hijab Row
For the uninitiated, the Karnataka colleges hijab ban controversy began earlier last month after a college in Udipid banned six Muslim students from attending classes while wearing their headscarves. Soon after, other colleges also began doing the same which led to a protest. The educational institutes have set this dress code citing a circular issued by the state government directing the colleges to maintain uniformity in the college dress codes in this academic year. The circular invoked a section of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983, which permits the state government to direct educational institutes to make rules to maintain ‘social harmony and uphold Constitutional values’.
You don’t say! Those are some serious ‘Constitutional values’ being upheld by the state government and the educational institutes (note the sarcasm).
