The row over dress code has further vitiated the academic atmosphere in Karnataka’s coastal belt with more boys supporting the hijab-clad girls who have been staying away from classes seeking permission to wear hijab in classrooms amid the interim order of the Karnataka High Court.

On February 18, some boys at the Milagres Degree College in Kallianpur in Udupi and at the Government First Grade College, Kavoor in Mangaluru stayed away from classes expressing solidarity with hijab-clad girls.

The agitating students at Milagres college gathered outside the gate on February 18 stating that it is not proper on the part of the college management to prevent hijab-clad girls from attending classes after the interim order of the court as they were being allowed to wear hijab earlier.

When contacted over phone, principal Vincent Alva told Rashtra News that the college prescribes a dress code. It followed the government order to close down from February 9 to February 15, and to resume classes from February 16. But the college declared revision holiday on February 16 for conducting internal examinations from February 17. At this time, the interim order of the court was in place. Further, the government has also asked colleges to follow the order. The college has not been allowing any dress reflecting religious identity in classrooms since February 17, as per the orders of the government and the High Court.

“We are only following orders of the court and the government. We have apprised the students about the same,” the principal said. The hijab-clad girls did not attend the examinations on February 17. On February 18, they refused to remove the hijab, he said.

The government college at Kavoor had declared a holiday on February 17 after four hijab-clad students protested on being denied entry to the classroom. When the college was re-opened on February 18, the same students continued their protest supported by some of their male counterparts. who also did not attend classes.

On February 17, Government First Grade College at Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada district had declared a two-day holiday when some boys supported girls wearing hijab.

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K. V. Rajendra has said that the interim order applies to all colleges where the College Development Committees have prescribed a uniform.