Bengaluru: At least 58 female students from a Government Pre-University College of Shiralakoppa in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district were suspended Saturday for wearing hijab.
Similarly, there have been several instances of stone pelting and attack on students of both Muslim and Hindu community. The hijab row has turned college friends into foes and triggered violence in several schools and colleges.
But not all students and managements are driven by political calumny and machinations. A group of students from different faiths have stood united during these hard times.
Students of a private college in Chitradurga came out and appealed to their peers to stay focused on academics rather than spar over hijab. Similarly, students of SRS College of Education put up a united front and mocked those resorting to protests and violence.
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“We have all grown up as friends and never discriminated against each other over religion. But now we are attacking our own friends because of what they wear. Have we lost it? We should focus on studying well and building our careers, instead of wasting time on such trivial matters,” said Prajwal, a student.
A fellow-student, Ayesha, said: “This is a silly issue that has been given a communal colour. We wear hijab due to safety reasons and not to prove our religious identity. We have already suffered a lot in terms of learning because of Covid. ”
Similarly, another student Sameena Suha said: “We students should start preparing for competitive and annual exams instead of wasting time on issues that aren’t significant.”
The students said they had been watching the developments in other parts of the state and felt ashamed.
“We should know politicians are exploiting us for votes. The hijab row is a political game and students are being victimised. Hijab was never a threat to my life, why should it be now? We appeal to students to realise that they won’t become better human beings by stoking communal sentiments,” said another student.
The students felt the management of colleges, where violence erupted, should have handled it better.