MANGALURU: The hijab controversy took a serious turn in a government college in Dakshina Kannada after six students were suspended from attending classes for a week for repeatedly ignoring the college’s warning not to attend the classes with hijab.
Shekar MD, principal, Government First Grade College, Uppinangady, suspended the six students on Tuesday.
The action followed after a group of male students started attending classes by wearing saffron shawls as a mark of protest.
Meanwhile, on Thursday two TV news channel journalists who went to the college to report the hijab controversy were kept under detention by some pro-hijab students.
They also deleted the video clippings from their mobile phones.
According to a complaint lodged by Ajit Kumar and Paveen Kumar, who work for two Kannada news channels, 20 students surrounded them and pushed them around and then took them to a classroom where they were detained.
The students let them go only after deleting the video clippings. Later, the same group of students also objected to two more journalists entering the college after which the latter returned.
Later in the day, Uppinangady police booked a case against 25 students of the college under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 149 (unlawful assembly with common object).
Notice to students
Some students of University College, Hampankatta, Mangaluru, continued to miss classes over hijab.
Dr Anasuya Rai, principal, said the college has decided to serve notice to students who are skipping classes over hijab.
She said after the college refused permission to 11 students to attend classes with hijab, they sit in the library and return home.