By MEER FAISAL
In Karanataka’s Government P.U College for Girls in Udupi, Muslim girl students are asked to stand outside classroom for wearing hijab.
Students said to Maktoob that these are humiliating to their identity and disturbing their studies.
For the last four days, hijab-clad girl students are denied entry to classes. A video showed the female students from Muslim community standing outside the classroom after being denied entry for wearing headscarves.
Principal Rudre Gowda has said the girls would be allowed if they remove their hijab while entering the classroom. “They can wear even burqas in the campus premises, but the use of the hijab is banned inside classrooms,” principal said.
Talking to Maktoob, a second year student, Almas said, “When we go to class, we are scolded and told to get out of the class. They are not even marking our attendance.”
“And when we were reluctant to get out of the class, a teacher said, will you go out or should I push you out?,” adds Almas.
Students say their seniors were also tortured for wearing headscarves.
“Teachers used to pull hijabs and scold us badly. Even the principal and teachers threatened that they will take strict action against us,” a student said to Maktoob.
Muslim students in the college have been facing discrimination in many ways. Speaking in Urdu or greeting salam to Muslim students are banned inside the campus.
“Hindu girl students wear bangles and bindi. Diwali and other Hindu festivals are celebrated in our school, so why can’t we wear hijab? Almas asks.
The mother of a college student told Maktoob that they we were called for a parents meeting and were made to sit outside for four hours.
“Many parents were also mistreated. Puja can be done in the college but Muslim girl can’t wear hijab, why? If this is not Islamophobia then what is?”
In another instance, teachers in the same college forced Muslim girls to participate and hold saffron flags in an ABVP protest program.
The incident occurred few months back.
When ABVP protested against a rape, Muslim students of the college were forced to join the protest and they were given a saffron flag in there hand and were asked to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai.
Muslim girl students had to face a lot of trouble after the video of ABVP protest went viral the next day. A student told that everyone started asking what Muslim girls are doing in the protests of RSS and ABVP. The student also accused the college teachers that they were pressurised to take the membership of ABVP.
This story first appeared on maktoobmedia.com
