Several students of the Hindu college in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district alleged that they were denied entry into the college for wearing burqa, with college authorities maintaining that the college has implemented a dress code for all students, reported ANI.
The female college students said that they were denied entry into the college for wearing burqa, and were allegedly being compelled to remove the black robe at the entrance gate.
Following this, a scuffle broke out between students belonging to the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha group, and the professors, who said that rules had to be followed. The group submitted a memorandum to include wearing burqa as dress code for Muslim women and demanded that the college allows Muslim girls to attend their classes wearing the robe.
Speaking about the incident, Professor AP Singh said that the dress code has been implemented by the college, and anyone who doesn’t follow it, will be barred from entering the college.
Hijab row started in Jan 1, 2022
A row over wearing hijab at educational institutions began in India on January 1, 2022, when Muslim students studying in the government pre-university (PU) college in Karnataka’s Udupi were barred from wearing the hijab on campus. The college administration stated that they were following the state government’s orders. A day later, six students were suspended for protesting.
Reacting to Muslim students waning to wear their traditional attire, students of different colleges had arrived at Shanteshwar Education trust in Vijaypura wearing saffron stoles.
On January 26, the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government set up an expert committee to find a solution to the issue. On January 31, one of the protesting students filed a petition in the Karnataka high court challenging the ban.
In February, the Karnataka government issued an order under the Karnataka Education Act, 1983 prescribing a uniform for all students to wear in state-run educational institutions. In March, a three-judge bench of the Karnataka HC upheld the hijab ban in all state educational institutions. They held that the wearing of the Hijab was not an ‘Essential Religious Practice’ and hence, would not receive constitutional protection.
Later, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board filed an appeal against the Karnataka HC decision at the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court’s split verdict in hijab case
A top court bench delivered a split verdict in the hijab ban case. Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia set aside the High Court ruling and quashed the state government’s order in his judgement, while Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed the appeals. The case is now before the Chief Justice of India for his direction.
Over 1,000 Muslim students dropped out after hijab row: PUCL report
Meanwhile, a report by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties – Karnataka unit (PUCL-K) on the impact of the hijab ban on Muslim girl students in Karnataka revealed that a total of 1,010 hijab-wearing girls dropped out of PU colleges “because of the hijab ban and other reasons as well”.
The report, ‘Closing the Gates to Education: Violations of Rights of Muslim Women Students in Karnataka’, study for which was conducted by the PUCL in five Karnataka districts – Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shimoga, and Raichur, stated that Muslim women students were not only “actively prevented from accessing their right to education but also bore the brunt of a climate of hate, hostility, and misinformation”.
The report, while blaming Hindutva organisations for carrying out a vilification campaign against Muslim students, skips any mention of the alleged role of banned outfits like the Campus Front of India and the Popular Front of India in the matter.