Mangaluru: Hindu students at Mangaluru University staged a protest on campus on Thursday May 26, claiming Muslim students were wearing Hijab to class. The protesting students demanded that Muslim students remove their Hijab before coming to class.
Hindu students say that over 40 Muslim students attended class while wearing Hijab. They demand that the college management prohibit students from wearing hijab in classes. The students expressed anger at the authorities for allowing this despite the court and government orders.
Following this, Hindu students walked out of class and protested on the campus grounds. They have claimed that they will continue to protest until Muslim students remove their Hijab or sent out. Students who were protesting stated they would not attend classes until the issue was resolved.
The hijab crisis started earlier this year as a protest by six students of the Udupi Government Pre University Girl’s College, which later escalated into a massive row.
The issue attracted international attention and dented the image of the state. The students filed a petition at Karnataka High Court seeking permission to wear hijab in classrooms.
The High Court taking note of the situation and sensitivity of the matter, constituted a special bench and heard the petition immediately.
The special bench headed by Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi dismissed the petition filed by students and observed that wearing of hijab is not an essential practice in Islam.
The government of Karnataka has issued guidelines for schools and pre-university colleges making uniform compulsory for students without giving any room for wearing of hijab in classrooms.
Inputs from IANS
Image by Ramachandra Bhat
