Karnataka Govt Pauses Best Principal Award To Udupi College Head Linked To Hijab Ban

The Karnataka government has put on hold the Best Principal Award to BG Ramakrishna, who had banned hijab in Udupi college, triggering a major controversy in 2021.

Responding to the development, Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa said, "...This particular issue, I think they (the committee) have overlooked it. So when we found out yesterday that there was an issue, we have put it on hold for the time being. We will just clarify it and then move ahead and give an update. I have told them to check again and then get back to us. The way he treated the children is the issue...Don't politicise the issue..."

BG Ramakrishna, speaking to the Times of India, confirmed that the award has not been revoked but remains on hold.

On the occasion of Teacher's Day, the education department had given award to two principals - Ramakrishna of Kundapur and A Rame Gowda, principal of Hunsur PU college in Mysuru district.

As the news of Ramakrishna being presented the award spread, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) raised objection due to the hijab controversy which had hit national headlines in 2021.

The controversy began in December 2021 at a government PU college in Udupi, before spreading across Karnataka. By February 2022, the situation intensified, with 28 students at Kundapur PU College being barred from attending classes for wearing hijabs.

SDPI Dakshina Kannada president, Anwar Sadath Bajathur, criticized the government's decision on 'X', saying, "The principal who made Muslim students stand outside in the sun for months over wearing hijabs has no moral right to be a principal. Why has the Congress government nominated him for a state award?"