- By Soumyaroop Mukherjee
- Fri, 05 Dec 2025 11:10 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
A tense situation unfolded at CG Bellad Government First Grade College in Akkialur, Haveri, Karnataka, when some students came to college in saffron shawls on Thursday, December 4, to register their protest against some girls who came to campus wearing hijab. Eventually, the principal had to enforce the prescribed uniform.
According to NDTV, quoting the college officials, the incident started two months back when a few students came to college wearing burqas. They were issued a strict warning and were asked to follow the prescribed uniform guidelines. The matter seemed settled with guidelines being adhered to. However, trouble began early this week when some students from the BA (second year) and BCom (final year) batches turned up wearing burqas.
This triggered the other students from the two classes, and in their protest, they turned up wearing saffron shawls on the college campus and insisted that a uniform dress code must be implemented for all the students.
"On Wednesday, two students attended class wearing hijabs, prompting other students to wear shawls on Thursday. There is no issue. Meetings are being held with all staff, and appropriate measures will be taken after discussions with students," said Viresh Kummur, the college principal, quoted by the Times of India.
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Hijab Ban: Mumbai College Revokes Burqa Ban
In a separate incident, two colleges in Goregaon West, Vivek Vidyalaya and Junior College, revoked their earlier ban on the burqa on Thursday, December 4, after a group of students launched a hunger strike against the management, demanding that they withdraw their decision.
The controversy stemmed from a decision by the college management to ban burqas and niqabs on campus and inside classrooms. According to the college circular, the girls were instructed to remove their burqas and niqabs at the gate and enter only in hijab. The rule, introduced last week, upset many students, who were taken aback at the sudden move.
Subsequently, some students filed a complaint with the college, which fell on the deaf ears of the management. This forced the students to stage a sit-in protest, which later changed into a hunger strike outside the college.
As the protest grew, local police asked the students and activists to give the college management a couple of days to reconsider their decision. When the college didn’t budge, the students and their supporters continued their agitation on Thursday. However, in the evening, the college relented and agreed to allow students to wear the burqa, but without the niqab that covers the face, on the college premises.
(With inputs from PTI)