In Karnataka's Udupi district, the first 20 days of the new year have been marked by public agony, emotional turmoil, and extreme scrutiny for eight young girls. It is their school administrators who have subjected them to what they characterize as "mental harassment," according to them.

They have gone from being average students with a regular schedule to now waiting on the stairwell outside their classes, unable to enter because they have been denied entry. What is the explanation behind this? The piece of cloth on their heads, or the hijab.

The girls, who are all students at the Government PU College for Girls, range in age from 16 to 19 years old.

Despite the fact that their images of themselves demonstrating outside their classrooms have gone viral, they claim that few have attempted to understand their anguish.

Two such students at the institution, AH Almas, 18, and Aliya Assadi, 17, described their trauma to The Quint in a zoom call.

"We are devout Muslims, and the hijab is an important part of our religious tradition. In addition to that, we are students with hopes for a successful profession and a fulfilling life. Why are we now being asked to choose between our identity and our education, and why is this happening? "That's not fair at all," Aliya expressed her displeasure.

When the pupils arrived at their respective courses on the 31st of December in 2021, they were instructed by their professors to "remove the hijab or leave the classroom," respectively.

While the girls were taken aback by the girls' brazenness, they weren't completely taken aback by it either.

Following that, the classes were taken down and subjected to several rounds of lockdown, but when the physical classes restarted in December 2021, they stated that they had opted to wear the hijab once more. "We went back and double-checked everything. There is no such formal regulation in place at our university, and our parents did not consent to such arbitrary policy either. As a result, we decided to continue wearing the hijab "Almas added.

After the girls were prevented from entering the classroom while wearing their hijabs for many days, the college officials held meetings with their parents, which was headed over by K Raghupati Bhat, chairman of the institution's development committee, and BJP MLA of Udupi. Following the discussion, students were informed that the school will uphold its decision to prohibit the wearing of hijab in classes.

SAFFRON SCARVES ARE USED AS A PROTEST AGAINST THE HIJAB.

The girls now claim that they are being pressured into apologizing to the college's administration. According to Almas, "we are being threatened with having to take back our protest and apologize."

In response to The Quint's calls and texts, Rudre Gowda, the college's principal, did not answer until the time of publication of this article. Raghupati, a BJP MLA from Mangalore, has previously stated to the Mangalorean that the hijab is not permitted for the purpose of maintaining conformity.

Pupils have requested permission to wear the hijab in the classroom today, and more students are expected to request permission to wear other items such as the saffron shawl, denim shorts, or a sleeveless dress tomorrow, according to reports.

Soon after the Udupi controversy gained attention, a group of students at a government-run institution in Chikmagalur staged a protest against students who wore the hijab by spotting saffron scarves around their necks. The students were arrested. An additional similar demonstration was staged at Pompei College in Mangaluru, with students donning saffron scarves in support of the cause. Some of them were affiliated with the ABVP.

The Udupi girls, on the other hand, claim that they are not requesting any special treatment. "Pujas and other religious rites are held on a regular basis at the school. If other pupils wish to wear religious symbols, we have no problem with their doing so, as well "Aliya shared her thoughts.

 

'THIS IS HURTING OUR EDUCATION'

The students claim that the 20 days they have spent away from their classrooms is costing them their education — as well as their ability to maintain attendance. "Our attendance is slipping, and we are losing out on critical lessons and opportunities. In a few months, we will be taking our final examinations. We are quite concerned about what may transpire at that point "Almas shared his thoughts.

She stated that several of the hijab-wearing students protesting the institution had been ill due to the stress.

Given the university's steadfast attitude, students are left with few options. "We either give up our I and enter the classroom or continue fighting for our fundamental rights. We choose the latter. We aren't giving up," Aliya added.