UDUPI: A day after the College Development Committee of the Women’s Government PU College, Udupi, held a meeting and instructed four Muslim girl students to attend classes without headscarves, the students on Tuesday arrived at the college wearing hijabs. The students were not allowed to enter the classrooms, citing the dress code rule. The impasse over wearing of the hijab on campus continues.
Nullifying the statement of Committee president and Udupi MLA K Raghupathi Bhat, who on Monday stated that students had partially agreed to change their stand, the students said it was a wrong statement by Bhat. ‘’We had not agreed, we were forced to agree and we were threatened with rustication from the college, but today we have come here wearing headscarves as it is our constitutional right,” the students said.
Almas, one of the students, told reporters outside the college that now that a petition has been filed before the High Court, they expect justice through the legal route. On Monday, Bhat had said that the students had “partially” agreed not to wear hijab and had said they would consult their elders at home before arriving at a decision.
Meanwhile, Aliya Assadi, a student, took to Twitter to express her view that wearing hijab is her constitutional right and none can snatch it away. ‘’We continue to come to the college wearing hijab as the government college is run with taxpayers’ money,’’ she tweeted.