Muslim students continue to boycott classes

Mangaluru: While the situation was calm in Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Mysuru on Wednesday, the hijab issue continued to rock 13 districts in the State.

The six Muslim girl students of Women's Government PU College in Udupi who first stoked the hijab controversy, were conspicuous by their absence from the school since Monday. The girls wanted to wear hijab in the classrooms in defiance of the High Court order.

Except the six girls, the rest of the students went to class as usual. Those wearing hijab entered the college grounds and, as was customary in the past, removed their headscarf before entering the classroom. Section 144 of the CrPC has been enacted within a 200-meter radius of the college premises.

Pradeep Kurdekar, the tahsildar of Udupi, arrived at the campus early in the morning to ensure that no rules had been broken. Meanwhile, to prevent any untoward incidents, MGM College in Udupi has extended the holidays for an indefinite period. According to sources, the classes were held online. About 23 students in Kundapur who used to wear hijab did not attend classes on Wednesday since the college has banned headscarf following a government order.

In Shivamogga, 12 students who were to take preparatory exams came to the school but returned without writing it after the school authorities had told them to remove hijab inside the examination hall. This was followed in the local first-grade college and pre-university college both private and government when women students were not allowed to wear hijab in the classroom. They were asked to remove hijab and come inside which they refused and demonstrated against the school administration, some of them who went back home came again in the mid-morning with their parents and started picking up arguments with the school authorities. Police intervened and brought the situation under control. However, the principals of the colleges had assured them to give a separate room to attend online classes or even safekeep their hijabs. But the students chose to raise slogans outside the college gate.

In Koppal, some students after refusing to remove hijab at their colleges marched through the roads shouting 'Allahu Akbar'. They soon dispersed after reaching the town's central circle.

In Kodagu's Nylihudkuru in Somwarpet taluk the students who had walked out of school on Tuesday repeated their act.