Burqa or shawl? College lands students in a fix

Chikkamagaluru: Is this an act of moral policing? Girls of a particular religion studying at the Government First Grade College, Koppa in Chikkamagaluru have been asked not to wear scarves while attending classes. They have however been allowed to wear scarves or burqa upto the waiting room at the college from their homes and on their return back from college.

This decision by the college authorities comes after the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP) made an appeal to the authorities concerned of the college to bar girls of a particular community from wearing burqa. After the girls attended classes wearing burqa and scarves, other boys and girl on Tuesday attended classes wearing saffron shawls.

ABVP leader Karthik told Deccan Chronicle that members of the ABVP distributed 200 shawls among the students and they attended classes wearing these shawls. Defending their wing’s move to bar girls of a particular community from wearing burqa, Karthik says, “It is to bring uniformity among students and is not aimed at hurting the sentiments of a particular religion.”

In a bid to ensure a peaceful atmosphere at the college premises, college principal Dr Ananth held a meeting with ABVP leaders and students and decided to ask girls of the particular community not to wear scarves inside classes. As many as 1,350 students study at the college. College principal Dr Ananth says girls of a particular community have been asked to cover themselves with veils and not with scarves inside the classes.

A similar situation prevailed at the college in the previous academic year when the girls of a particular community were asked not to wear burqa while attending classes. But, when some girls started entering classes wearing burqa and scarves, it enraged the ABVP which went in appeal to the college authorities asking them to direct the girls not to wear burqa.