A tale of two colleges: One stands up for student, other shuts down
Beyond the divisive images and crowds shouting at each other, these are two shades of the hijab row that played out in Karnataka Tuesday before the government shut down all high schools and colleges for three days in a bid to lower the rising heat.
5 min read
Karnataka hijab controversy: “Before me, a few other Muslim girls were also heckled in a similar manner," Muskan, a second-year student of BCom, said.In Mandya, a hijab-wearing student braved a mob of slogan-shouting boys with saffron shawls, saying later that she had the support of her classmates across religious lines and of the college principal. In coastal Udupi, a surge of boys and girls wearing saffron shawls and headwear, and a heated confrontation with hijab-wearing protesters, prompted authorities at a junior college to quickly ask all students to leave.
Beyond the divisive images and crowds shouting at each other, these are two shades of the hijab row that played out in Karnataka Tuesday before the government shut down all high schools and colleges for three days in a bid to lower the rising heat.
At PES College in Mandya, second-year B.Com student Muskan was the face of defiance while confronting a crowd of young men, wearing saffron shawls, who heckled her and shouted religious slogans. Speaking to The Indian Express, she said her college allowed her to wear the burqa on campus and the hijab inside classrooms.
“My college administration and principal has never opposed us wearing the burqa. Some outsiders are forcing it. Who are these people to stop us? Why should I listen to them?” she said.
Recounting the day’s event that was captured in a viral video, Muskan said: “I was going to submit my assignment. Even before I entered the college, there were a few Muslim students wearing the hijab who were being heckled. They were crying. I am here for education and my college allows me to wear the attire. In the crowd, there were only 10 per cent of students from our college, most of them were outsiders. I was disturbed by the way they were behaving, and I countered them.”
Students, some wearing hijabs and others in saffron scarves, converged outside the gates of the MGM College in Udupi on Tuesday.
The video shows the college principal and other staff trying to control the situation.
“After I reached class, my principal stood by me and said, ‘I have allowed you to come in the attire (burqa) and you do not have to worry about others’. In our college, we are allowed to wear the burqa till we reach class and can wear the hijab once the class starts. Nobody in this college had a problem until it was started by outsiders two days ago,” Muskan said.
Students, some wearing hijabs and others in saffron scarves, converged outside the gates of the MGM College in Udupi on Tuesday. (Express Photo by Jithendra M)
The principal, J Mahadeva, could not be reached for comment. Asked about the response of her classmates, Muskan said: “I received appreciation from my friends and classmates who are from other communities. They were also unhappy over the crowds polluting the college atmosphere, and appreciated me for taking them on.”
But the video did spark concern at home.
“My mother was worried but my father called me up and supported what I did. My college has always stood by me and we have followed whatever the rules are. I feel safe with my college, friends and parents standing with me,” Muskan said.
Meanwhile, at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in Udupi, the situation turned tense as a group of boys and girls wearing saffron scarves and headwear shouted religious slogans and roamed the campus.
“Around 9.30 am, I was outside the office, standing with a few lecturers. By then, a big group of these boys had started assembling in the ground and were distributing saffron turbans and scarves. Then they started raising religious slogans. As the situation seemed tense, our teachers asked us to leave,” said Sana Kauser, 21, a first-year M.Sc Computer Science student.
Students protest at MGM College in Udupi, Karnataka. (Express Photo by Jithendra M).
With more students turning up for their laboratory classes, authorities shut the gates and the tension spilled over to the other side, where a group of hijab-clad girls asked to be allowed inside while boys in saffron scarves continued with their sloganeering.
“Our demand is the same as their demand. If they can wear their hijab and bring their religion to college, so can we,” said one of the boys.
As a group of hijab-wearing students turned up at the gates to leave the building, some of the boys in saffron scarves scaled the walls and entered the compound. More sloganeering followed, which the girls countered with slogans of “we want justice”.
The students finally dispersed around noon after the principal, Devidas S Naik, came out to announce that the college would be shut till further notice. “Ours is a healthy campus. Something went wrong with this issue. We hope the matter ends here,” Naik said.
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