Hijab row: After protests, MP college issues notice to avoid "religion-specific" attire

As the Hijab row intensified, an autonomous postgraduate government college in Madhya Pradesh on Monday issued circular urging students to avoid "religion-specific outfits", especially Hijab, inside institute premises. The signed order by the principal of the college in Datia district came after saffron-shawl-clad youngsters protested against two students over wearing Hijab inside the establishment.

Reportedly, the incident took place after young demonstrators associated with Hindutva ideologist supporters, including VHP, Bajrang Dal and Durga Vahini, stormed Agrani Government Autonomous PG College in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh. The students staged protests against two girls wearing Hijab inside college premises. The college administration, led by principal DR Rahul, later tried to identify students wearing Hijab.

'Civilised and decent clothes'

Notably, the order signed by the college principal directed students to avoid wearing attires that would attribute to religion or community, like the Hijab.

"By the time we tried to find those students, they had already left the college. An order was subsequently issued by the college, asking them to wear civilized and decent clothes in college," the principal of Agrani Government Autonomous PG College, DR Rahul, told reporters.

The incident took place three days after a Hijab-clad M.Com student at the same college was allowed to take her third-semester exam only after a written undertaking to refrain from wearing Hijab inside college premises. The student, identified as Ruksana Khan was forced to undertake the restriction after students from other communities objected to her outfit in the college.

Hijab row

The development comes as the Karnataka High Court on February 10 issued a detailed interim order restraining all students from wearing saffron shawls, scarves, hijab, and/or bearing religious flags, regardless of their faith, inside educational institution premises.

The spat began in December last year after Udupi's Kundapur PU College's principal Rudra Gowda issued a circular, banning students from wearing hijabs in classrooms in an attempt to "ensure uniformity". The decision led to an uproar from Hijab-clad female students in the college and further expanded to nearby districts, forcing the state government to shut down schools and colleges as precautionary measures.

Currently, the Karnataka High Court is hearing petitions on the row and has ordered all state schools and colleges to reopen allowing students to return to classes. So far, the court bench for the row headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi touted that students must refrain from wearing "religious things" to avoid further instigation of protestors until the matter is resolved. The next hearing is scheduled for today (February 15) after the court adjourned on Monday.

Image: PTI (representative)