By M L Satyan

Bengaluru, Feb 5, 2022: What happened: In December 2021, Rudra Gowda, principal of Bhandarkar’s College in Udupi issued a circular, banning Muslim girl students from wearing hijabs in classrooms.

Defending his order, Gowda said, “Students are free to wear hijabs inside school premises but not in classrooms. This rule is being followed to ensure uniformity in classrooms”. This decision led to an uproar, with some students not being allowed to enter classrooms by college staff and fellow students.

Similarly, students were stopped from attending college for wearing head-scarves instead of full-length hijabs. While the college authorities stated that they could not enter premises, students cited the college rulebook which allowed students to wear head-scarves if the color matches that of uniform. Escalating the matter further, students from the Hindu community started wearing saffron scarves to college in protest against the hijab-wearing Muslim students.

Since the first such incident was reported from Udupi on December 28, 2021, a total of five education institutes – three government-run colleges and two private institutes – have denied entry to girl students wearing the hijab. Last week police force was deployed for the first time at one of the institutions to prevent any untoward incident.

Students at Bhandarkar’s College said that, on February 1, officials of the college called a meeting of all Muslim students and asked them to stop wearing the hijab. “The principal and other lecturers asked us to come to college without wearing hijab. The students said that if anyone had objections, they should bring their parents. When they came with their parents, local MLA Haladi Srinivas Shetty and others were present and no proper answers were given.

The second incident was reported from Byndoor government pre-university college, where 12 female students wearing the hijab and 150 Hindu male students wearing saffron shawls were barred from entering the classroom. College authorities insisted that they wear the proper uniform, and asked the students to remove their hijab and shawls before entering classes.

The third incident was reported from BB Hegde College in Kundapur, a private college, which had earlier allowed students wearing hijab and shawls to attend classes did not allow entry to either group.

Varied Responses: The protest by Muslim students and their parents continue. Meanwhile, five girls have filed a case in the High Court. The Court on February 8 will hear the petitions filed by the students studying in a Government Pre-university College in Udupi, questioning hijab restriction in college.

The women and activists say that the action is a violation of their constitutional rights but the government and the authorities say that rules prevent any display of religious symbols in educational institutions. Some Hindu groups, who are opposed to the Muslim women wearing the hijab in the classroom, have also mobilized local students to wear saffron scarves to institutions.

Amid the furor, the Karnataka government has asked educational institutions to follow existing uniform-related rules, until the High Court comes out with an order in this regard. Karnataka Government has stated that uniforms prescribed by the state before the academic year and worn by the students until now, should be continued.

Former J&K Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti recently condemned the Karnataka government-run college’s move to bar students wearing hijab and said it was an attempt to legitimizing the marginalization of Muslims.

She said, “The government cannot thrust its decision on different religions as every religion has its own teachings. Nobody can be forced to refrain from following religious obligations”. Further she said, “There is an attempt to impose one language, one dress, which is not possible. ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (save daughter and educate daughter) is yet another hollow slogan. Muslim girls are being denied the right to education simply because of their attire. Legitimizing the marginalization of Muslims is one more step towards converting Gandhi’s India into Godse’s India.”

Commenting on the ongoing hijab row in educational institutes across Karnataka, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi equated letting hijabs get in the way of education with robbing the future of India’s daughters. “By letting students’ hijab come in the way of their education, we are robbing the future of the daughters of India. Ma Saraswati gives knowledge to all. She does not differentiate,” Gandhi tweeted.

Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also tweeted on the issue, stating that prohibiting the entry of those wearing the hijab was a “violation of fundamental rights.”

Karnataka Congress MLA Kaneez Fathima lead a protest on Hijab ban in Kalburgi on Saturday, 5 February, demanding that girls with Hijab should be allowed in the campus.

As the Hijab row in Karnataka escalates, the issue was raised by several Lok Sabha MPs on Friday, slamming the BJP-ruled Karnataka government for stopping Hijab-clad students from entering government colleges. MPs like Dr. S. Senthilkumar, Imtiaz Jaleel and Shashi Tharoor questioned the government colleges’ move, raising freedom of religion and stopping girl students from attending exams and classes.

Tharoor said, “This kind of policy is wrong. We have Sikhs who wear turbans, Christians have their crucifix around their neck, Hindus who sometimes comes with ‘Tilak’ and all of this is normal”.

Church’s response: On the Anti-conversion Bill there was a widespread protest, rallies, public meetings all over Karnataka. Similar events were witnessed when Stan Swamy was in jail. When a church, statue or a catholic institution is attacked, there is a spontaneous reaction from the church authorities. And when the attack is on a priest or nun the church’s reaction is even more vigorous.

However, it is sad to note that when other minority communities are attacked, there is a lukewarm response. In the Hijab row, what has been the response from the catholic church? To be frank, I have not noted any public protest from the part of the catholic church. Why? Does this issue not prick the conscience of the church authorities? How long will the Catholic Church remain as an island?