Karnataka minority Commission asks  government to  maintain status quo in colleges as per the situation that was there at beginning of the academic year until the issue is resolved in the court.

NEW DELHI – The controversy over hijab in Karnataka continues to snowball into a major cause for concern as one more college banned entry of students in hijab. Following this, hijab-wearing girls of the college staged a protest demonstration at the gate.

In the videos that went viral on the social media, the girls can be seen crowding at the gates of the pre-university college, Bhandarkar in Udupi district of the state. They can be heard shouting “We want education!” in the presence of police called to remain standby.

Meanwhile, at Kundapura Government PU College, female Muslim students continued their protest on the second consecutive day at the gates after they were asked by the college administration to leave the premises in the morning along with Hindu boys who came to the college sporting saffron-coloured mufflers in protest against hijab. Reports said Muslim male students joined the protest in a show of solidarity with the aggrieved girls.

As the girls showed a defiant stand and the outrage around the issue grew, the Karnataka minority Commission wrote to the state government asking it to  maintain status quo on the issue of issue in accordance to what was there in colleges  in the beginning of the academic year until the issue is resolved in the court.

The row in Kundapura College was triggered by male Hindu students entering the college premises sporting saffron mufflers on Wednesday in an unusual display of religiosity. Ignoring the saffron muffler parade, the college administration issued instructions to the girls to leave their hijabs at home.

The next day, when the Muslim girls came to the college in hijab, the principal shut the gates on them. They were made to stand at the gates the whole day. They protested against the move, asserting their democratic right to wear the dress of their choice.

Without revealing her name, a Muslim student of commerce stream of PU second year, said they were not allowed to even use college washrooms. “The girls had to use washrooms at a nearby hospital,” she lamented.

She called the treatment meted out to them by the college as “humiliating” and “discriminatory”.

The girls said this was the first time that the college was denying them entry for wearing hijab. “We have never faced an opposition to hijab in the past,” said another girl, who too wished anonymity. “Hijab is part of my life. Why should anyone have a problem with it.”

The contention of the colleges opposed to hijab is that they don’t consider hijab as part of dress and feel it disturbs the uniformity. The protesting girls argue that there are no rules that outlaw hijab in the college.

Meanwhile, some Hindutva groups backed the Hindu students protesting against the hijab. The Hindu students asserted that they would wear saffron mufflers if the Muslim students are allowed to wear hijab.

Video of a hijab girl in Bhandarkar College holding a rule book as they pointed out that it says girl students are permitted to wear headscarf inside the campus if the colour matches with the dress.

Meanwhile, leader of opposition and top Congress figure in the state, Siddaramaiah, said Muslim girls should not be deprived of education for wearing hijab.

“Education is a fundamental right. Is this not a violation of fundamental rights to prevent Muslim girls from entering college? They should not be deprived of education,” Siddaramaiah while interacting with the media on Friday.