Hijab row: Udupi Muslim Okkuta says issue should be solved in scope of Constitution

Udupi: Udupi Muslim Okkuta has said that the issue of girls in Udupi Government PU College should be solved in the ambit of the constitution.

“The Udupi Muslim Okkuta has put in efforts in this direction. But the Principal, teachers, and college development committee attitudes have been narrow and negative against the implantation of the constitutional spirit. Their narrow understanding of the issues became harmful in arriving at an amicable outcome,” Okkuta president Ibrahim Hoode told reporters.

“Any rule or bylaws relating to educational institutions must be sensitized so that no person of any religion, caste, class, community, or tradition is deprived of his right to education. The purpose of educational institutions should be to educate children and not to impede the practices of others or to impose their rules on them,” he said.

The organization stated that the scarf does not violate any rules or regulations.

“The students willing to wear the scarf should be allowed to wear the same color as the prescribed uniform is just demand. We also endorse this. There should be collective deliberations and decision making rather than individual efforts from some leaders and any particular sect of organizations.

The Okkuta has asked the political parties and organizations affiliated to them not to interfere in the education system.

“They should not engage in any activities that would affect any student’s religious and constitutional rights or incite students to conflict,” the leaders added.