Bengaluru: A week after the state government ordered a shutdown owing to escalating protests over the hijab-saffron scarf row, colleges in Karnataka are set to reopen Wednesday. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code are being imposed in some districts before the reopening of colleges.
Pre-University colleges (classes 11 and 12) and all educational institutions under collegiate education will reopen, even as students await a final word on the hijab row from the Karnataka High Court.
High schools, which were also declared shut in the 8 February order, were asked to reopen Monday, and instances of Muslim teachers and students being asked to remove their hijabs outside the gates, in full public view, elicited angry responses from various quarters.
Anger over schools forcing staff and students to remove their hijabs outside the institutions and turning away students who refused to do so made its way even to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly session Tuesday.
Congress’ deputy leader in the House, U.T. Khader, raised concerns over schools misinterpreting the Karnataka High Court’s interim order.
“The situation at educational institutions these days is painful. When the court order is regarding colleges, it is being implemented even at the primary school level. The duty of the government is to provide education, and not to create hindrance in providing education. The court order has to be clearly implemented at the ground level and it is the responsibility of the government to create a conducive environment for students to get education by clearing the confusion,” U.T. Khader said in the House.
Earlier in the day, a delegation of legislators from the minority community met with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai over the hijab row and successive reduction in budgetary allocation to minority welfare by the BJP government.
“The High Court’s interim order is very specific — that it only applies to colleges that have a development committee that has decided on a uniform at the beginning of the academic year and it applies only to students,” Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, who was part of the delegation, told ThePrint.
“However, using the interim order as a pretext, schools that do not come under the interim order’s purview, are forcing students as well as teachers to remove headscarves and burqas in full public view on roads. The chief minister said he has taken note of this gross violation of the HC order,” he added.
In its interim order Friday, the Karnataka High Court had restrained all students of colleges where the College Development Committees prescribed a dress code from wearing “saffron shawls, scarves, hijab, religious flags” within the classroom.
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Hijab wearing school students barred
Meanwhile, Tuesday too many schools turned away Muslim students who had come in hijabs, amid protests by students and their parents.
Students wearing hijabs were disallowed even in government Urdu schools.
“Till now, many from our family have studied in this school wearing hijab. Why is there a sudden change in rules?” the mother of a student of Government Urdu School in Pakirnagar, Udupi district, was quoted by news agency ANI.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Shivamogga, Kodagu, Kalburgi, Chikamagalur and Tumakuru districts too.
“For decades, there has been no issue whatsoever over Muslim girls wearing the hijab and coming to school. All of a sudden some fringe elements are inciting protests against hijabs,” Congress MLA Arshad said, adding that it was the government’s preorgative to ensure education to all.
Prohibitory orders in districts
Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswamy assured the Opposition on the floor of the assembly that the BJP government was committed to implementing the High Court’s order.
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders are being clamped down on districts owing to the reopening of colleges Wednesday.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code have been imposed on 200 metres around colleges in Udupi and Tumakuru districts so far. Other district administrations are expected to follow suit.
A multi-faith peace committee in Udupi had Sunday decided to ensure that the HC’s interim order was enforced only in colleges that had prescribed a dress code/ uniforms for students.
Udupi district administration Tuesday called for another round of peace meetings, urging stakeholders to refrain from protests.
“Sufficient deployment has been made at colleges and sensitive areas. Section 144 has been imposed for 200 metres around all colleges. All officers will be on rounds since morning. Constant patrolling will start from night and will continue till morning. One additional Superintendent of Police, four deputy SPs, 11 inspectors, 36 sub inspectors, 700 constables have been deployed across Udupi,” said Vishnuvardhan, superintendent of police, Udupi, following a peace committee meeting Tuesday evening.
(Edited by Saikat Niyogi)
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