19 Muslim girls miss studies in Dakshina Kannada over hijab verdict

Some students have made up their mind to discontinue studies though they still have a distant hope that the college authorities will reverse their decision

Twenty-one undergraduate and postgraduate girl students of the Government First Grade College in Haleyangady, insisting on wearing hijab inside the classrooms, have stopped attending classes for three months.

"One among the 21 students is a first-year degree student who dropped out from college," principal K Sridhar told DH, when contacted.

He said 19 girls in their final year of degree and one PG girl student stopped attending classes three months ago. With examinations scheduled in August this year, the students will not be able to write the examinations as their attendance is lesser than the compulsory 75% attendance needed to write examinations, he added.

Sridhar said that he made all efforts to convince the girls and their parents to attend the classes. "I have informed about these developments to Regional Joint Director of Collegiate Education," he said and added that none of the students has collected their TCs.

Uppinangady Gram Panchayat member Abdul Rasheed told DH that all 44 Muslim girls are attending classes.

Meanwhile, sources in the University College, Mangalore, told DH that since Friday, classes are conducted online and thus, all Muslim students, barring those with network issues, are attending the online classes.

There is no information about the whereabouts of four Muslim girl students who had collected TCs from the principal of First Grade Government College in Kavoor, the sources said.