UDUPI: The row over some students not being allowed to wear headscarves inside the classrooms at Women’s Government PU College, Udupi, has not ended yet. While the college development committee has not budged on its stand not to allow them to wear headscarves inside the classrooms, the students too have not conveyed any change of decision during a meeting in which they and their parents spoke to the committee led by its president -- Udupi MLA K Raghupathi Bhat -- on Monday.
The meeting was attended by Rahim Uchil of the Karnataka Beary Sahithya Academy and other Muslim leaders who spoke in favour of the college development committee’s decision not to allow headscarves inside the classrooms.
At the closed-door meeting, Rahim Uchil sought to convince the students stating that it was right on their part to demand to wear headscarves, but vitiating the academic atmosphere in an educational institution for that cause is not acceptable. "As citizens of India, I told the students to uphold the constitutional values," he said while speaking to reporters after the meeting.
After the meeting, Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat told reporters that the students were instructed not to come to college if they do not relent. He said the students decided to take a call after consulting their elders at home. Bhat added that police have been asked to be present at the college campus to restrict the entry of members of any outside organisations and media persons that he said will unnecessarily dent the academic atmosphere, making it difficult for other students to focus on their studies.
Meanwhile, sources in the Campus Front of India which initially took up the cause told TNIE that the students will not budge on the matter and will continue with their demand.