India News | Karnataka Hijab Row: Students Stick to Demand

Mangaluru, Jan 27 (PTI) The six students of government girls PU college in nearby Udupi district have turned down the suggestion of the college development committee that they opt for online classes if they are adamant on wearing hijab (Islamic headscarf) in the class room.

Also Read | Union Budget 2022-23: Rise in Old-Age Pension, Re-Engaging Seniors Among Demands.

The girl students have been boycotting classes for the last four weeks as the college authorities refused permission for them to wear hijab inside class rooms.

Also Read | Bengaluru Shocker: Gold Loan Executive Murdered, Body Thrown in Lake; 2 Arrested.

Addressing reporters in Udupi on Thursday, the students, who are staging the protest, said wearing hijab is their constitutional right and they are not willing to attend online classes which is 'discriminatory.'

Asked about other girls from the community attending classes without hijab, they said girls are not coming forward as they are scared of the problems they may face.

Education and rights are equally important, they said.

Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat, also chairman of the college development committee, had on Wednesday said the education department had ordered a status quo on the dress code in class rooms.

A high-level committee has been constituted by the department to study the dress code in colleges in other states. If they are persisting with their demand, they can choose online classes, he had said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)