UDUPI: With the situation tense in some colleges in the district due to the hijab row, police in Udupi held a route march on Friday in various streets and strategic spots of the city.
Police sources told The New Indian Express that the route march was held to ensure that no commotion or face-off takes place on the hijab issue. More than 238 police personnel and about 50 police officers including the SP of Udupi Vishnuvardhan and DySP Siddalingappa took part in the route march.
Earlier in the day, a route march was held in the neighboring town of Kaup. The route march was led by Kaup circle police inspector Prakash. About 90 staff of three police stations -- Kaup, Padubidri and Shirva -- under Kaup circle took part in the route march that was taken out for about two-and-a-half km from the town to Polipu Junction and back to Kaup police station. Padubidri sub inspector Ashok Kumar, Shirva SI Shreeshaila, Kaup SI Raghavendra C and DAR staff also took part. A route march was also held at Karkala and Kundapur town.
Sources informed The New Indian Express that higher officials of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have also arrived in Udupi to monitor the situation and keep a vigil on the developments as the hijab row had first broke out in a college in Udupi. Police sources added that a route march was also held to send out a message that no untoward incidents like stone pelting should happen in future.
Earlier, the Karnataka High Court passed an interim order restraining all the students regardless of their religion or faith from wearing saffron shawls (Bhagwa), scarfs, hijab, religious flags or the like within the classroom, until further orders.
However, in the interim order released on Friday, the court makes it clear that this order is confined to those institutions where the College Development Committees have prescribed the student dress code/uniform and the hearing of these matters on an urgent basis will continue.
The court also noted that the stretching of academic terms would be detrimental to the educational careers of students especially when the timelines for admission to higher studies/courses are mandatory.