In the letter, the association said the Kashmiri women students have been systematically targeted. This incident follows the 2022 Karnataka hijab ban, currently under Supreme Court review after a split verdict.
Bengaluru: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Tuesday, July 15 wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stating that Muslim students wearing hijab were barred from attending classes and threatened with expulsion at a Bengaluru college. The alleged case of religious discrimination happened at Sri Soubhagya Lalitha College of Nursing, affiliated with the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).
In its letter, the association said the Kashmiri female students have been systematically targeted, humiliated, and denied their fundamental right to education solely because they choose to wear the hijab. “The college chairman stormed into a classroom and ordered hijab-wearing students to leave immediately. When the students asked for clarification on the basis of this directive, they were told ‘This is our college, only our rules apply.’ The chairman and principal allegedly threatened to terminate the students and withhold their academic records if they continued to wear their religious attire,” Nasir Khuehami, National Convenor of the Association, stated.
The college administration allegedly justified the ban claiming that other students had objected to the presence of hijab-wearing students. “The students were warned that they would not be permitted inside the college unless they removed their hijabs, despite no official or legal policy existing to support such a ban. Forcing students to choose between their faith and education is both unconscionable and unconstitutional. This violates Articles 25 (freedom of religion), 15 (prohibition of discrimination), and 21A (right to education) of the Indian Constitution,” Nasir added.
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The association stressed that the implications of this incident stretch beyond the four students directly affected, warning that it sends “a chilling message to every girl from a minority background that her religious identity makes her unwelcome in educational spaces.” They also sought directions to the authorities concerned, including the Education Department, RGUHS, and the Minority Commission to conduct a thorough investigation and take necessary action.
Karnataka Govt Indecisive on Hijab Ban
On February 5, 2022, the Karnataka government issued a directive requiring students to follow the uniform guidelines set by their respective educational institutions, effectively restricting the wearing of hijabs. This move followed an incident in Udupi district where six Muslim students wearing hijabs were barred from entering their college. In response, student groups linked to right-wing organizations, including the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), launched counter-protests, arguing that if hijabs were permitted, saffron scarves should also be allowed on campus.
A petition was filed at the Karnataka High Court challenging the government order, however the ban was upheld. Following this, a petition was filed at the Supreme Court and the case was referred to a larger bench following a split verdict. It is to note that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had promised to withdraw the government order banning hijabs in educational institutions.
