It may be a stray incident: CM on two students skipping exam for not allowing hijab-wearing

Kalaburagi/Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday termed as stray incident two students not appearing for the second PUC (class 12) exam after being denied permission to enter the examination hall as they were wearing hijabs.

“I’m not aware of it, it may be a stray incident. Our Education Minister will look into it,” the Chief Minister, who was in Kalaburagi district to attend BJP meetings, told reporters when asked about the girls not writing the exam after not being allowed to do so as they had the hijabs on.

Asked if the two students would be given another chance to write the exam, he said, “Whatever the Education Minister will say on this will be our (govt) stand.” The two girls arrived at the exam centre by wearing hijab. They insisted that they be allowed to write the exam wearing hijab but the college authorities, citing the High Court order, denied them entry. Later, the girls returned home.

As there is a ban on hijab or any cloth linked to religious identity, the authorities made arrangements at exam centres for the Muslim girls to remove their headscarves before entering the halls.

The girls who turned up at the examination wearing hijabs said they would remove them in the separate enclosure and wear them again after the exam is over.

The second-year pre-university examinations started in the State today amid tight security and in the shadow of the hijab row.