The Government First Grade College, Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada, which had suspended six girls four days ago for wearing hijab in classrooms, suspended one more girl on Friday for defying the college dress code.
The College Development Committee, headed by Sanjeeva Matandoor, MLA, Puttur, met on Friday to discuss the issue after the row erupted again on Thursday when students in two groups – one opposing wearing hijab in classrooms and another supporting it – boycotted the classes.
Mr. Matandoor told The Hindu after the meeting that the committee decided that the suspension of the seven girls will be revoked if they gave an undertaking that they will abide by the college dress code and followed it accordingly. As a girl violated the dress code on Friday the college suspended her till further orders, the MLA said.
Mr. Matandoor said that the committee reiterated that students should follow the dress code. If not disciplinary action will be initiated against them. To a question the MLA said that the college might dismiss the students if they continued to violate the dress code.
While some students attended the classes while some stayed away in the college on Friday, he said adding that none wore saffron shawls to the college on the day.
Threat of agitation by Mangalore University Students Coordination
Meanwhile, Mangalore University Students’ Coordination Committee on Friday gave two days deadline to address the issue over allowing hijab in the classrooms at the University College, Hampankatta, or else the committee said it will launch an agitation.
The college, a constituent college of Mangalore University, has not been allowing students wearing hijab to attend the classes, library, and the canteen according to a decision taken by the syndicate, the highest decision making body of the university, on May 16.
Addressing presspersons in Mangaluru, president of the committee Riyaz said that if the college did not allow Muslim girls to wear hijab the committee will unite students from across the district and hold a massive rally in the city.
He was joined at the press meet by some hijab-wearing girls of the University College who urged the college to allow them to attend the classes.
Gousiya, a final year degree student of the same college, said, “We have been wearing hijab inside classrooms even after the final verdict of Karnataka High Court verdict. It was on May 16, we received a message from the college principal which directed all the students to wear uniforms and attend classes without hijab.”
Arguing that the High Court order on hijab is not applicable to the colleges under the university, Ms. Gousiya reiterated that the syndicate of the university bowed to the pressures of the ABVP and took such a decision.
“We have given our representations to the college principal, the Vice Chancellor, and the Deputy Commissioner, appealing to allow us to wear hijab inside the classrooms till the end of our academic year. Some of us will be completing our graduation in the next two to three months. The decision taken by the syndicate in the middle of the academic year will hamper our studies,” she said.
“A few of the ABVP backed students had even harassed us inside the college campus by videographing us, commenting and abusing from behind and unnecessarily arguing with us. Some had even showed saffron stole at us when we visited the college campus daily. We had even submitted a complaint to the college principal on the harassment. However, no action was taken against them so far,” Ms. Gousiya said.
Earlier Vice-Chancellor P.S. Yadapadithaya said that the university will issue transfer certificates to such students if they wished to join such colleges allowing wearing hijab.
