The hijab row in Karnataka has sparked a wide range of reactions from the student community as well as political leaders, but reports of several states following the same suit in their educational institutes have also erupted after the controversy grabbed attention.
More recently, reports that a college in Mumbai has decided to ban hijabs for its students have also come forward. The college in Mumbai reportedly issued a notice that ‘girl students in hijab are not allowed inside college premises’.
The prospectus and regulations of the MMP Shah College in Mumbai came under scrutiny after the college website read, “Students should be suitably dressed to maintain the decorum of the college. Wearing a burkha/ghungat or scarves inside the premises is strictly not allowed.”
Soon after the reports of the Mumbai college banning burqa, hijabs, and ghunghats in its premises surfaced, the college authorities came forward with a clarification on the issue, saying that their guidelines for students are being misinterpreted.
As per the reports of India Today, MMP Shah College Principal Leena Raje clarified that the information about the hijab ban in the college has been misinterpreted. She further said that there is no such ban imposed in the college, and people are not interpreting the rule correctly.
The college principal told India Today, “Yes, it is written in the prospectus and regulations on the website of the college. However, the reason is that a while back, males would come inside the college wearing complete hijab and harass the girl students. Several such incidents have taken place in the past and therefore we decided to bring this change.”
Raje further said that a lot of the students and staff members of the college are Muslims and they routinely come to class wearing hijabs without facing any problems by the administration.
This comes as the Karnataka hijab row matter got taken up by the Karnataka High Court, which has said that all the colleges in the state can be reopened provided that the students do not wear any religious attire or symbols on the premises.
The Karnataka HC bench, which is led by the state Chief Justice, has further scheduled the hearing on the matter on Monday, February 14. The Supreme Court has also said that they will be taking up the issue only if the Karnataka High Court decides to defer it.
