Karnataka hijab row: saffron shawl protest, Muslim girls sent to separate classroom; 2 held with knives

The hijab-saffron shawl row in the junior colleges at Kundapur in Karnataka's Udupi district continued on Monday, with students in two junior colleges trying to defy the government order mandating uniforms stipulated by the state government or respective managements of the institutions.

The state education department had issued the order on Saturday.

A group of students studying at Venkataramana College in Kundapur came in a procession to the college on Monday wearing saffron shawls. They were prevented from entering the premises by the college principal and the police personnel present there.

The students said they will wear the shawls if hijab-wearing girls were allowed in classes. They agreed to enter the classes removing their shawls only after the principal assured them that no hijab-wearing students will be allowed to enter classrooms.

At the Government PU College in Kundapur also, the principal talked to Muslim girl students who came wearing hijabs and explained to them the government’s order.

As the students continued to insist on wearing the headscarves, they were asked to go to a separate room arranged for them.

There was widespread criticism against the way the girls were made to protest outside the college gate last week.

Also Watch: Amid hijab row, Karnataka bans clothes that 'disturb equality, public order'

Two persons were arrested on charges of brandishing knives during the hijab-saffron shawl protest by students at Kundapur town in Udupi, police said on Monday.

They were arrested near the government pre-university college on a tip-off that five people arrived at the spot with lethal weapons to create communal tension on Friday, police sources said.

The accused have been identified as Abdul Majeed (32) and Rajab (41), both hailing from Gangolli in Kundapur taluk. Police are on the lookout for three other persons suspected to be involved in the case.

Majeed is an accused in seven criminal cases while Rajab has one case pending against him at Gangolli police station.

A case has been registered against them at the Kundapur police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the sources said.