Hijab ban: 19 Muslim girl students to miss studies in Karnataka

Representative image. Pic/Istock

Around 19 girls in Karanataka are on the verge of dropping out of college as they failed to appear for examinations and attend classes. Three months after Karnataka High Court ruled that Muslim girl students should abide by the decisions of the college development committees (CDCs) and wear prescribed uniforms without hijab, 19 students of government first-grade college at Haleyangadi here have been skipping classes.

The students, who are adamant about wearing hijab in classrooms, are now on the verge of dropping out of college as they have neither written examinations nor attended classes for the last three months.

Similar issues at the university college of Mangalore, the government first-grade college at Uppinangady were solved after discussions with students and parents.
However, the 19 students at Haleyangadi college are facing a loss of education after the college authorities strictly prohibited the wearing of hijab inside the institution as per the High Court verdict on March 15.

Also Read: Mixed bag of reactions to Karnataka High Court's verdict on hijab ban

Though the students say that the High Court order is only applicable to pre-university colleges, the Court clarified that the order is confined to all institutions where the CDCs have prescribed specific dress codes or uniforms.

College principal K Sridhar said the 19 girls, who are third-year degree students, did not appear for the exams and skipped the new semester classes. "Though they tried to convince the students to comply with the High Court order, they are insisting on wearing hijab," he said.

"The talks with the parents of the students were also disappointing," the principal stated, adding it is unfortunate to see the girls, who studied at the college for two years, dropping out suddenly.

(with inputs from PTI)