Mangaluru Students In Hijab Denied Entry At Uni; Sought Relief From Deputy Commissioner

The Hijab debate appears to have revived in Karnataka's southern state after some Muslim students from University College in Managluru sent a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner's office on Friday, May 27 asking for permission to wear hijab in class.

Twelve students at Mangalore University in Manguluru, Karnataka, were allegedly barred from attending their classrooms because they were wearing hijabs. The principal tried to persuade them to take off their hijabs inside the women's room before entering the classrooms, but the girls refused. After that, the students headed to the library; they were, however, denied admittance there as well, forcing them to return home.

One of the students, Fathima, shared her concerns, saying, "After the court decision, nothing happened, and we went about our tests in peace. However, we recently received an unauthorised message instructing us to attend lessons without wearing a hijab. With HC's permission, we went to the principal and attempted to speak with him. He expressed his helplessness. VCs shared the same perspective."

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Students wearing hijab denied entry: Report

This incident happened after Thursday, May 26, when students from Mangalore University College reportedly organised a protest on campus against the wearing of hijab in class. Students condemned the college for not adhering to the Karnataka High Court's directive banning the hijab in educational institutions.

Hijab demonstrations erupted in Karnataka in January and February this year when some students at the Government Girls PU College in the state's Udupi district said they were prohibited from attending courses because they wore hijab.

Some students said they were refused college entrance because they donned hijab during the protest. The hijab protests in Karnataka swiftly extended to other states, prompting the Supreme Court to hear the matter.

On March 16, a full bench of the Karnataka High Court dismissed a batch of petitions filed by Muslim girls studying in pre-university colleges in Udupi seeking the right to wear hijabs in classrooms, stating that "wearing hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islam" and that "freedom of religion under Article 25 of the Constitution is subject to reasonable restrictions."