Headscarf controversy: A matter of uniform or religious majoritarianism?

For a month now, Aliya Assadi and seven other girls have been protesting for their right to attend classes wearing headscarves. Students of the first and second pre-university courses in Udupi’s Government Women’s PU College, these girls are demanding the right to practise their religion, while they attend college.

The headscarf issue is a decade-old, with the first case being reported in SVS College in Bantwal in 2009. This time in Udupi, the college is citing the rule of not allowing religious practices inside the campus, mentioned in the college prospectus. The prospectus and the available circular do not mention the term hijab anywhere.

The issue started brewing last year but remained hidden due to the pandemic. The college had offline classes only for two months. Aliya Assadi says they started wearing headscarves last year itself. They were restricted, harassed and sent out of the classrooms but remained silent. They were restricted from using Beary, Urdu and Arabic languages, while Tulu and Konkani languages were used by other girls.

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The girls say they are wearing headscarves willingly with no force from parents or the mosque. They wrap the shawl given along with the school uniform around their heads and shoulders and do not use any extra piece of cloth.

There are 970 girls studying in the college. Of these, 82 are Muslims. For other Muslim girls keen to follow religious beliefs, focusing on studies without any controversy is a priority. Many of them remove the hijab or burqa before entering the campus.

Culture and religion

In the state, dress codes are implemented only up to SSLC, and there is no dress code for the government colleges. Individual College Development Committees prescribe rules and regulations. It is the same with the Udupi case.

While the principal steers clear of the media, Yashpal Suvarna, the College Development Committee vice-president, calls the shots. A BJP activist and a political aspirant, he is against allowing hijab, as it is a religious attire.

“The uniform is introduced to avoid discrimination and to bring in discipline among students. They should abide by the rules and regulations put forth by the committee,” he told DH.

When asked about allowing one type of religion while curbing the other, he was unapologetic. “When Muslim institutions can practice their religion, why shouldn’t we?” he asked, hinting at the unspoken religious practices that always existed, which speaks loads about the majoritarianism prevalent in the society at large.

Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat, the president of the development committee, was diplomatic. “The only fact here is the dress code and the matter surrounding the decorum of the cloth and not other accessories,” he said.

B C Nagesh, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, ruled out the existence of a controversy. The government will constitute a committee and decide on the dress code in colleges for the next academic year, he informed.

“Someone will want to wear shorts, and someone else will want to wear shawls. Can we allow everything?” he asked.

“Let people follow their religion inside homes, Why bring it to colleges?” he added. Blaming a “certain community” for being regressive and not educating its women, he called the entire incident a conspiracy to derail the education of the girls in question.

The road to reconciliation

Meanwhile, the girls have rejected the offer of online classes. Udupi wing of Girls Islamic Organisation (GIO), Karnataka has given a representation to the district administration supporting the girls’ stand.

Amid a notice by the National Human Rights Commission to the state government for impinging on the girls’ right to medication, the situation has reached a stalemate. The state government has decided to maintain the status quo; the girls will not be allowed in the college.

Phaniraj K, a social activist from Udupi, has been observing the issue from the beginning. “Practice of religious rituals like Pujas goes on in government organisations, even today. As long as it doesn’t harm anyone, it need not be objected to. The controversy is only due to increased right-wing communalisation. Even then, there is no law and order problem right now,” he said.

Everyone’s priority now should be the education of the girls. “Don’t curb womens’ education because of an issue that does not trouble anyone else,” he said.

(With inputs from Manjushree G N in Udupi)