J&K students association claim female students barred entry for wearing hijabs in Karnataka nursing college

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has written to Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah, requesting urgent action on an alleged incident of religious discrimination at Sri Soubhagya Lalitha College of Nursing in Banashankari, under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).

The association says some Kashmiri female students have been prohibited from attending classes for wearing the hijab or burkha.

In a letter to the CM on Tuesday, July 15, the JKSA accused the students of having been repeatedly harassed over the course of several days, being refused entry into classrooms and practical sessions and warned of expulsion if they kept wearing their religious attire, according to a report by The New Indian Express.

Nasir Khuehami, the JKSA National Convenor, reported that the college chairman allegedly went into a classroom and instructed hijab-wearing students to vacate the class at once. Students, when challenged by the directive, were apparently informed, "This is our college; only our rules apply." The chairman and principal apparently threatened the students with further disobedience leading to dismissal and denial of academic records.

The college allegedly defended itself by invoking "university rules" against wearing hijabs or burkhas, a contention the JKSA denies since no such prohibition exists in Indian law or policy of the university. In the letter, JKSA pointed out that this was a gross violation of basic rights such as the right to religion (Article 25), protection from discrimination (Article 15), and the right to education (Article 21A) of the Indian Constitution, The New Indian Express report stated.

Khuehami went on to charge that college authorities asserted that hijabs were forbidden for medical students across the entire nation, including Kashmir, and denied constitutional safeguards, purportedly saying, "No article or fundamental right is applicable in our college."

The JKSA called upon the CM to make arrangements for the students to be permitted to go to classes without being compelled to take off their religious uniform. It also called for a proper investigation to be conducted by the state education department, RGUHS, and the State Minority Commission, and also for disciplinary action against any officials who are proven guilty of infringement of constitutional rights.

The institute could not be contacted for comment by The New Indian Express.