An Amritdhari (baptised) Sikh girl was asked to remove her turban in the reputed Mount Carmel PU College here, in compliance with the February 10 High Court’s interim decision, amid a crisis over the wearing of hijab in classrooms. Some college parents claimed they were singled out after their daughters were instructed to take off their hijabs.
Authorities are now crossing their fingers that Thursday’s turn of events would not extend the sensitive matter further, including to other universities in the state capital.
Despite considerable agitation and rallies in colleges across the state over the denial of permission to attend classes while wearing a hijab, the agitations have not yet reached Bengaluru in a significant way. On Wednesday, the High Court’s Special Bench made it plain that no religious symbols are permitted in PU and graduate institutions classrooms till the case is resolved.
Parents of college students who were asked to remove hijab by the authorities have demanded that the order of the High Court must be implemented equally to all students. The problem started when G. Sriram, deputy director of PU Education, who was inspecting the college during practical exams on Monday, directed two students to remove their hijab as per the court order. This led to outrage among the students and more students strongly protested against it.
The college authorities conducted a series of meetings and asked the students to follow orders, demanding that they should be treated equally. Though the college authorities successfully convinced the majority of the students, a few insisted that if they were to remove hijab, others should also not be allowed to wear any religious symbols.
Meanwhile, the college authorities of Mount Carmel PU College asked the 17-year-old Sikh girl student to remove her turban to follow the High Court order. The authorities also mailed about it to her father. The girl was asked to remove her turban on February 16, but she did not agree. However, after G. Sriram, deputy director of PU Education visited the college and asked students not to wear hijab, they demanded that others who were wearing religious symbols too should not be allowed.
The school authorities informed the father of the Sikh girl about the situation and her family informed the college that she would not take off her turban and they would seek a legal opinion on the issue. The education department maintains that the High Court interim order does not talk about turbans.
After asking a 17-year-old Amritdhari (baptised) Sikh girl not to wear her turban to class, the Mount Carmel College in Karnataka’s Palace Vasanth Nagar has clarified that they did not disallow her from attending classes in the turban.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
