Tumakuru Hijab Row: FIR Registered Against 15 Women Students For Protesting

The Karnataka police have registered the First Information Report against 15 girls from the Government Pre-University (PU) college in Tumakuru, a city in the state of Karnataka, which is embroiled in the hijab row and student protests. The FIR was filed against these students for violating the orders imposed under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code.

On Wednesday, at least 40 women students had staged a protest at the Government Empress Junior PU College near Townhall. They raised slogans when they were not allowed to enter the classrooms for wearing hijab and burqa.

This protest took place after the Deputy Commissioner's prohibitory orders which stated that any such activities near educational institutions in districts of Karnataka were not allowed.

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Tumakuru Hijab Row FIR: Know More

The Assistant Commissioner of Police in the area, on Thursday, held a meeting with the Deputy Director of the Pre-University Education Gangadhar and Shanmukhappa, who is the principal of the college. As per the instructions by Assistant Commissioner, the principal filed the complaint with the police and thus the FIR.

An official told The New Indian Express that the FIR does not name any student. On the same day, in the evening, a group of students and their parents along with two teachers protested near Mini Vidhana Soudha demanding a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner.

The ANI reported that these girl students were charged under sections 143- unlawful assembly, 145- anyone who joins an unlawful assembly, 188- disobedience to order by a public servant and 149- every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object, of the IPC.

In a separate case, The Times of India reported that on Friday, a private college at Mysuru in Karnataka cancelled its uniform mandate and allowed the Muslim students to attend classes with their hijab on. It is the first college in the state to do so since the row began last December 2021 and the interim order by the Karnataka High Court stated that until the matter is disposed the students have been appealed to wear the uniform and refrain from attending college or school with any religious clothing.

However, the Home Minister of Karnataka Araga Jnanendra said that "no soft approach" will be taken anymore and has directed the police to take action against those who are flouting the interim order.