Students Leading Hijab Protest Create Ruckus At Exam Centre Demanding Permission To Appear Sporting Veil; Return Home After Authorities Warn of Legal Action

Two of the Muslim students from Udupi Government PU College who were at the forefront of the Hijab protests have returned from the college premises without appearing for the board exams today (22 April) as they were not permitted to do so wearing the Hijab.

Five students involved in the protests had not collected the hall tickets until Thursday (21 April). As reported, they had been given a chance to do so until the last moment and appear for the exams. Security had also been beefed up at all exam centres across the state, keeping the recent events around the issue in mind.

Aliya Assadi and Resham turned up at the exam centre and urged officials to permit them to appear for the exams sporting the Hijab. As they began to argue with the administration, as per news reports, the college administration sought the intervention of higher officials. Tahsildar Archana Bhat is said to have come to the exam centre along with Udupi City Police officials and reasoned with the students but in vain.

The girls insisted on answering the exams wearing the Hijab and began arguing with the authorities for the same. They were then warned of legal action if they violated the rules in this regard, following which the two left the college premises.

MLA Raghupati Bhat, who is also the head of the College Development Committee, has tweeted, condemning this attempt by the students to once again create a law and order situation.

“We have been saying that the Hijab dispute is a conspiracy and it has been proved yet again. Students had been instructed to collect the hall tickets yesterday itself. But these two girls insisted on collecting it just before the exams and created a ruckus at the exam centre,” he tweeted.

“Despite the court order, these students have created an issue by creating disorder at the centre and disturbing other students. This is intolerable. Let them keep their ego and arrogance at home as we are committed to following the orders of the court,” he added in the tweet.

Bhat also said tweeted urging the Chief Minister and Education Minister to file a criminal case against these two students.

Assadi had tweeted earlier this month asking Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to intervene and make provisions for them to appear for the exams with the Hijab on and reasoned that they were ‘the future of the nation’.

This, after Education Minister BC Nagesh, made it clear that there would be no provisions for the same and that all students would be required to follow the rules regarding uniforms in the state.

Also Read: In Hijab Row, Remember One Reality: The Intolerant Minority Usually Wins