Vijaywada: After Madhya Pradesh and Puducherry, the hijab row that began in Karnataka has spread to Andhra Pradesh.
Hijab-wearing students of Loyola College located in Vijayawada said that they were denied entry into classes.
The students said that they had never faced such an issue earlier and even their ID cards have their photographs in a burqa.
In order to resolve the issue, parents, community elders are talking to the college principal and police.
Following the order of the district collector, the principal of the college Father Kishore, allowed two girls inside the classsroom.
Hijab row in MP, Puducherry
Recently, Agrani Government Autonomous PG College in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh issued a circular asking students to avoid wearing ‘religion-specific’ attire. This circular was issued after saffron-shawl-clad youngsters protested against two students who were wearing hijab inside college premises.
A similar incident was also reported in Puducherry wherein, a government school in Ariyankuppam stopped a hijab-wearing Muslim girl from attending the class.
Discrimination against Muslim girls
On Wednesday, senior advocate Ravivarma Kumar, appearing for the petitioners challenging the ban on hijab, submitted before Karnataka High Court that discrimination against Muslim girls is purely based on religion.
Mentioning that Hindu girls wearing bangles and Christian girls wearing cross are not sent out, the senior advocate asked why the government was picking on hijab alone. Kumar submitted that no other religious symbol was considered in the impugned government order.
“Why only hijab? Is it not because of their religion?” he questioned and further added that discrimination against Muslim girls is purely based on religion.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice Krishna S. Dixit and Justice Khaji Jaibunnesa Mohiyuddin adjourned the hearing till Thursday.
With inputs from agencies
