UDUPI: In what started as a spark, the 'hijab row' has been spilling over to many other colleges in Karnataka's Udupi district. On Saturday, February 5, 2022, about 200 boys in Bhandarkar's College, Kundapur came to college wearing saffron shawls raising the slogan 'Jai Shree Ram'.
However, the police stopped them and dispersed the crowd to avoid any clash. Later after much persuasion by the college administration and the police, the students agreed to attend classes without the saffron shawls. Earlier the students also took out a procession for about half a kilometre to register their protest against the hijab.
Meanwhile anticipating that the issue might get out of control, the principal at the Government PU College in Kundapur had declared a holiday for Saturday. Though a local temple fair (Basroor Rathothsava) was cited as the reason behind the holiday, never before was a holiday declared for this festival, sources said. The college authority reportedly resorted to declaring a holiday to avoid the clash over the hijab and saffron shawl row.
Students at a nearby RN Shetty PU College in Kundapur also tried to attend classes wearing saffron shawls. However, the college authority declared a holiday for Saturday and sent the students home. Police had a tough time controlling the mob as students took to the streets to express their dissent against headscarves.