Karnataka: Award For Udupi Principal Who 'Barred' Students Wearing Hijabs From Entering Classrooms Put On Hold

The Karnataka education department has reportedly put on hold the best principal award announced for B G Ramakrishna.

Ramakrishna, who had gained attention during the 2021-22 hijab controversy, faced backlash for allegedly instructing hijab-wearing students to stand outside the classroom for months.

Speaking to Times of India, Ramakrishna, the principal of the Government Pre-University College in Kundapur, Udupi, said, "The award has not been withdrawn. The (education) department said it may be 'delayed' due to technical problems, but it has not specified the exact reason."

On Tuesday, the state education department announced the state-level best principal awards for two people: B G Ramakrishna from Kundapur and A Rame Gowda, principal of Hunsur PU College in Mysuru district, on the occasion of Teacher’s Day.

A senior official from the Udupi Pre-University department claimed they were unaware of any controversy linked to the award announcement, ToI reported.

The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has raised strong objections regarding the selection of Ramakrishna for the award, citing his involvement in the hijab controversy.

Following the incident, Ramakrishna had claimed receiving hate messages from anonymous numbers.

The hijab controversy erupted in December 2021 at a government Pre-University College in Udupi, and later spread across Karnataka.

By February 2022, the situation escalated, when at least 28 students at Kundapur PU College were barred from entering into classrooms for wearing hijabs.

Opposing the award for Ramakrishna, SDPI Dakshina Kannada president Anwar Sadath Bajathur said on X,"The principal who made Muslim students stand outside in the sun for months due to wearing hijab lacks the moral right to be a principal. Why has the Congress govt nominated him for a state award?"

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