Hijab Row: Know All About The Stand-Off In College Campuses Across Karnataka

Six students of a government-run pre-university college in Karnataka's Udupi district had, in December 2021, alleged they were barred from attending classes for insisting on wearing the hijab — a headscarf that some Muslim girls and women wear. What started at one college – Women's PU College in Udupi – spread like wildfire in the state and more colleges began shutting out students wearing the hijab. The issue snowballed when another group of students began turning up at colleges wearing saffron scarves and shouting slogans of Jai Shri Ram (praise Lord Ram).

Communal And Political Overtones

The events unfolding over the past month have now triggered a debate over the right to education and equality. Seeing that the issue could divide educational campuses on communal lines, last week the Karnataka government banned clothes “which disturb equality, integrity, and public order”

Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said students should neither wear hijab nor saffron shawls to school. Mr Jnanendra also instructed the police to keep an eye on religious organisations that were attempting to undermine the country's unity in this aspect. He went on to say that no one should attend school to practise their religion because it is a place where all students should learn together in a spirit of unity.

But the issue has refused to die down. Opposition parties, including the Congress, have urged the state government to not infringe on the fundamental right of students to education.

In a tweet, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of “robbing the future of the daughters of India”. Reacting to Mr Gandhi's tweet, the Karnataka BJP hit back at him, and accused him of “communalising education”.

There have been incidents of a standoff between the student groups. At IDSG College in Chikkamagaluru, there was a confrontation between students wearing blue scarves and those wearing saffron scarves. Students wearing saffron criticised the hijab, while Dalit pupils wearing blue backed the hijab-wearing students. Two colleges also declared a holiday to avoid communal trouble while another college allowed students wearing the hijab in separate classrooms.

Issue Reaches High Court

A student of the girl's pre-university college in Udupi district also moved the Karnataka High Court with a prayer to allow the right to wear a hijab, or headscarf, inside the classroom. The writ petition filed by the student stated that wearing a hijab was a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 14 and 25 of the Constitution and was an essential practice of Islam.

Two Arrested

Meanwhile, two people were arrested in Kundapur for carrying weapons to a protest at a government college over students' right to wear hijab in classrooms. Attempted homicide, rioting with a deadly weapon, and criminal conspiracy are among the charges levelled against them. The police said the accused — part of a group of five people — were not part of the students' agitation. The police are trying to trace the remaining three of the group.