We’ve been wearing hijab since childhood, how can we remove it?’ ask protesting girls in Karnataka college
India Today
Pro-hijab girls and anti-hijab students, wearing saffron shawls, had a showdown outside MGM college in Karnataka’s Udupi. Slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ were also raised during the showdown.
A huge protest broke out outside MGM college in Karnataka's Udupi district on Tuesday, February 8, after girls came to college wearing hijabs. Seeing girls wearing hijabs, the other students began wearing saffron shawls as a sign of protest, leading to a massive showdown outside college between the two groups.
Slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ were also raised during the showdown by the anti-hijab protesters. The college principal has declared a holiday until further notification.
One of the protesting girls, Tasmia, said, “They have said we can’t go inside classrooms with hijabs. We’ve been wearing this since childhood. How can we remove it?”
She further said that the protesting students started wearing saffron shawls only in the last few days. “Now, they’re telling us they also want to wear shawls. If the authorities had told us that we can’t wear hijab, we would’ve gone to some other college.”
She ended by saying, “We have exams next week and we want to study. But, they are protesting outside.”
Meanwhile, another protesting girl alleged, “They didn't let us write practical exams. They told us to get out. They said you have to come without hijabs for writing exams. Why are they doing this during the annual exams?”
Meanwhile, one of the protesters wearing saffron shawls said, “College authorities told us no one will be allowed to enter while wearing hijabs. But, today they were allowed inside. So, we’ve also decided to wear shawls and protest outside against this.”
