Students of the University College managed by Mangalore University here boycotted classes and staged a protest on Thursday saying that the college administration is allowing Muslim girls to attend classes wearing hijab. The protesting students demanded that the college also ban wearing hijab on college campus.
Lateesh, a representative of the protesting students, speaking to presspersons in the college, said that the college has been lenient and is allowing Muslim girls to attend classes in hijab, though the college has a prescribed dress code.
Allowing hijab in classrooms goes against the recent verdict of High Court of Karnataka. A memorandum given by students to the college seeking proper implementation of the court order has not yielded any result. The college has allowed students to write examinations in hijab this April, he said.
The college has been allowing girls to wear hijab despite the Syndicate of the university on May 16 barring such attire in the University College and other constituent colleges of the university. The college should bar girls sporting headgear on the college premises too, he said.
The protesting students submitted a memorandum to College Principal Anasuya Rai wherein they sought the authorities to replace the college students union president, who, the students said, is not in favour of banning hijab on the college premises.
Meanwhile, Muslim girls of the college met Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra and sought action against the college administration for sending students out of campus for sporting hijab.
Ghousia, a degree student, told reporters that she and other Muslim girls were allowed to wear hijab in classrooms and also to write examinations in April. The problem started after the resumption of classes on May 17 when they were barred from entering classrooms in hijab.
“Today, we were sent out of the library. Security guards sent us out of campus,” she added.
Dr. Rajendra has sought time till Monday to address the issue, she said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Rai [College Principal], in a press release on Thursday, said that all students should come to college in the prescribed dress code from Friday. Girls have to remove their headgear in the rest room of college and be on campus as per the dress code. Disciplinary action will be taken against students violating the dress code, she said.
Ms. Rai said that the University Syndicate, the highest decision-making body of the university, on May 16 barred students of all constituent colleges of the university from wearing headscarf. It removed an earlier provision in the University College’s prospectus allowing headscarf in classrooms.
This Syndicate’s decision was brought into effect in the college on May 17. Students were informed of this decision the same day. The decision was reiterated during the meeting of heads of different departments of the college on Tuesday, she said.
