Hijab row: Way principal treated kids is an issue, says K’taka Edu Minister on withholding award

Bengaluru: Commenting on withholding for now the ‘Best Principal Award’ to the Kundapur Government Pre-University College principal for making girl students wearing hijab stand in the Sun, Karnataka Minister for Education Madhu Bangarappa stated on Thursday that the way the principal treated the children was the issue.

Following a social media campaign against BG Ramakrishna, the principal of Government Pre-University College in Udupi district, the Karnataka government withheld the award till further notice.

Ramakrishna had courted controversy by allegedly asking Muslim girl students wearing hijab to stand in the Sun outside the classroom for months in 2021, at the height of the hijab row in the state.

The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) had slammed the state government for announcing an award for Ramakrishna and ran a campaign against him.

Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Thursday, Minister Bangarappa, while answering a question by the media that the principal was just carrying out government orders, said, “The way he treated the children is the issue, that’s all. If there is no problem, we will take a call. If he was following any government order, it had to be carried out in a certain manner. If it is not in a certain manner, then it will be questioned. So let me check the details. The department will check. It is not me who will take the call, the committee will make a decision in this regard.”

When asked whether the government was practicing vindictive politics, Minister Bangarappa stated, “Don’t politicise the issue. No vindictive politics is happening.”

“There is a district committee for the selection of names of deserving candidates when someone applies for the award. The committee will send it to the head office and at the head office there is another committee to look into it. In this particular issue they overlooked certain things. Once the issue came forward regarding the award, the decision was withheld for some time for clarity,” he maintained.

“The details are in public domain and no decision has been taken over withdrawing the award for now. I will have to look into the matter. It is withheld for now. I have asked authorities to recheck and get back. I don’t do that job, the committee will take a call,” he stated.

“Normally, the committee verifies everything and sends it to us. Usually the list which comes is cleared. However, once the matter has come into public domain and also to our knowledge about objections being raised, we have to put it on hold for now and later we will take a decision,” he stated.

The development is likely to trigger a major controversy in the state.