Hijab row spills into streets at Kundapur

The ‘hijab’ controversy in Udupi district of Karnataka on Saturday spilled into the streets with a group of students of two junior colleges at Kundapur taking out a procession in the town wearing saffron shawls demanding ban on headscarves on the campuses.

Hindu boy students of Kundapur junior college and R N Shetty college who staged the protest, said they will continue to wear the shawls if Muslim girl students are allowed to wear hijabs.

In view of the prevailing tension, a holiday was declared for the R N Shetty college after a meeting of college management and the police. Security has been tightened in the town, police sources said.

Students of the junior college, who took part in the procession till their college gates, later attended classes after removing their shawls. The college development committee, which met Saturday, decided to ban wearing of hijab and saffron shawls inside classrooms. Students are, however, allowed to enter the campus wearing hijab and shawls. Only prescribed uniform will be allowed inside classrooms.

The committee also decided to allow the hijab-clad girl students to sit in a separate room in the college building in view of the criticism that they were made to sit outside the gate in the last three days.