Karnataka Hijab Row: Mangaluru college discontinue offline classes after FIRs over hijab

With the conflict intensifying on the campus between Hindu and Muslim students, the college has now suspended offline classes and began online classes until the situation eases. 

A government college in Mangaluru has announced that it has decided to shift all its classes online after a conflict over giving permission to students to wear the hijab in the classroom escalated last week. P Dayananda Pai P Sathish Pai Government First Grade College in Mangaluru took the decision to suspend classes on campus after two FIRs were registered by the Mangaluru police against opposing groups of Hindu and Muslim students following an altercation outside the college.

Karnataka Hijab Row: Muslim student files FIR

The conflict began on March 5, after a Muslim girl was confronted by a group of her Hindu classmates when she entered the college to write an examination. Hiba Sheikh, a second-year BSc student, said that a group of boys from the ABVP tried to stop her from writing her internal examination and called her 'anti-national' and a 'terrorist'. In the confrontation, Hiba was seen arguing with three boys in the presence of police personnel. Hiba was heard asking the boys, "Is this your dad's college? We also pay fees and come here." The altercation was broken up by college authorities and police personnel.

An FIR was registered at the Mangaluru North Police Station on the basis of the complaint submitted by Hiba accusing the boys Nithesh Shetty, Samanth Alva, Sanath Shetty, Sandesh, and others from the ABVP, of insulting and hurting the Muslim girl.

However, the complaint was followed by a counter-complaint by Kavana Shetty, a BCom student of the college, accusing Muslim students Hiba, Saina, Mumthaz, Rifana, Nisar, Alfaz, and Aboobakkar, of intimidating and hurting the Hindu students.

"Have you talked to a professor and stopped us from writing the test? We will see you when you're going on the road, is the college your father's? We are also paying fees and coming," Hiba told the boys according to the complaint.

The complaint also added that Sandesh, one of the boys, received death threats on social media though it was not specified who issued the threats.

While speaking on the same, the college principal Rajashekara Hebbar said that the college had given permission for some Muslim students to enter the library wearing the hijab. "Until the recent conflict in Udupi, there were a few Muslim girls who did not wear the hijab to class, but now all Muslim girls are coming to college wearing the hijab. We had allowed a few girls to enter the library for an internal examination on Thursday, but some boys confronted her when she was coming to college," Rajashekara Hebbar said as reported by TNM.

With the conflict intensifying on the campus, the college has now suspended offline classes and began online classes until the situation eases. 

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