Moradabad college denies entry to Burqa-clad students for violating uniform code

A row over wearing hijab at educational institutions began in India on January 1, 2022, when Muslim PU students in Karnataka's Udupi were barred from wearing the hijab on campus.

Lucknow, Jan 19: Chaos prevailed in Uttar Pradesh after some students of the Hindu College in Moradabad were denied entry into the institute for wearing 'Burqa' despite the prescribed uniform code for students there.

According to ANI, the girl students have alleged that they were not allowed to enter the college campus wearing the Burqa and that they are compelling them to remove it at the entrance gate.

The girls later staged a dharna outside the gate in protest against the decision by the college management.

Notably, the college administration clarified that there was a dress code for the students and that no one would be allowed entry in any other dress.

Reportedly, a notice was passed earlier regarding the uniform code for the college.

Meanwhile, a scuffle broke out between students belonging to the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha group, and the professors, who said that rules had to be followed.

The group submitted a memorandum to include wearing burqa as dress code for Muslim women and demanded that the college allows Muslim girls to attend their classes wearing the robe.

Last year, a row erupted regarding to school uniforms was reported in the Indian state of Karnataka, when some Muslim students of a junior college who wanted to wear hijab to classes were denied entry on the grounds that it was a violation of the college's uniform policy which was also followed by the other religion students as well.

Over the following weeks, the dispute spread to other schools and colleges across the state, with groups of Hindu students staging counter-protests by demanding to wear saffron scarves.

On 5 February, the Karnataka government issued an order stating that uniforms must be worn compulsorily where policies exist and no exception can be made for the wearing of the hijab.

Several educational institutions cited this order and denied entry to Muslim girls wearing the hijab.

Petitions were filed in the Karnataka High Court on behalf of the aggrieved students. On 10 February, the High Court issued an interim order restraining all students from wearing any form of religious attire.

The order was implemented in all schools and colleges across Karnataka, with students, and in some cases teachers, being asked to remove hijabs and burqas outside the school gates.

After a hearing of about 23 hours spread over 11 days, the court delivered its verdict on 15 March 2022, upholding the restrictions on hijab. The court ruled that the hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islam.

The implementation of dress codes by educational institutes, banning the hijab, was criticised inside India and abroad by officials in countries including the United States and Pakistan, by Human Rights Watch, and by figures like Malala Yousafzai.