After hijab row, Karnataka college ask Sikh girl to remove turban

The college asked her to remove the turban and said it is just following the interim order of the Karnataka High Court that had restrained students from wearing saffron shawls, hijab and religious flags, or the like in classrooms of colleges that have prescribed a uniform.

After hijab row, Karnataka college ask Sikh girl to remove turban

Amid the ongoing hijab row in Karnataka, a 17-year-old Amritdhari Sikh girl was asked to remove her turban as the college has a uniform dress code. The college asked her to remove the turban and said it is just following the interim order of the Karnataka High Court that had restrained students from wearing saffron shawls, hijab and religious flags, or the like in classrooms of colleges that have prescribed a uniform.

Meanwhile, the girl’s family said that the college never discriminated and has always been very considerate and polite, said the Karnataka government and the high court have to clarify the matter and issue instructions. The student was asked to remove her turban for the first time on February 16 to which she had refused. The college later spoke to her father stating they understood the importance of the turban for a Sikh but were bound by the high court order.

"We have had no issues with the girl wearing the turban so far. When the college reopened on February 16, we informed all students about the high court order and we went on with our normal activities. On Tuesday, when the deputy director of pre-university education (north) visited the college, he found a group of girls in hijab and told them to come to the office and told them about the high court order. These girls have been demanding now that no girls should be allowed to wear their religious symbols and therefore the Sikh girl also should not be allowed to wear the turban. We spoke to the girl’s father and later mailed him. We informed them about the order and told them to abide by it. The father responded that it (the turban) is an integral part of their life. We did not want to interfere, but the other girls have been insisting on uniformity and hence we sent the mail,” a Mount Carmel PU College spokesperson said.

“We never sent them out or are forcing anybody, we are just telling them that we need uniformity in the four walls of the classrooms as per the HC order. In our letter to the father, we have specifically mentioned that we believe in an inclusive society and respect all religious practices. According to the vision and mission of the college, we follow inter-religious harmony and have an active inter-religious association,” the college said, as reported by TOI.

While commenting on the same, the deputy director of pre-university education (north) G Sriram said: “The HC order does not say anything about turbans. We should not be dragging in more issues now. We have to only follow the high court order. When I asked the principal, she said the girls are convinced and there are no issues in the college now.”

Read More:

• Hijab Row: Prayers are unusual, Counsel for Udupi PU College in HC

• CUCET 2022: How it will change the admission process in major Universities?

• Delhi University's fresh curriculum to be ready in 3-4 months: officials