A college in India’s southern Karnataka state denied entry to a group of Muslim students on Tuesday over their refusal to remove their headscarves after a new policy stirred up a legal row.
Six students protested outside the Government Women Pre-University College in Udupi city on World Hijab Day to assert their “fundamental rights”, they said.
The pre-university had imposed a ban on the hijab in December, saying it breached rules against wearing religious symbols.
The measure led to an outcry and protests by students who demanded the institution roll back the order as it infringes on religious rights.
“[This] is a government college where we pay tax. There is no need to intervene. Our legal struggle cannot be crushed by threats,” Aliya Asadi, one of the students protesting the ban, said in a tweet on Monday.
But the government-run college doubled down on the ban before World Hijab Day and barred students wearing headscarves from entering when the campus reopened following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions.
One student has already registered a case with the Karnataka High Court over the ban.
The petitioner claims the ban on the headscarf is unconstitutional as Indian secular law guarantees full rights to practice one's religion. She also asked the court to protect the rights of those who want to wear hijab as a fundamental practice of religious belief.
The controversy has put a spotlight on recently reported discriminatory acts perpetrated against religious minorities, including Christians, in the southern state, which is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Last year, the state government tabled a bill to outlaw religious conversions, which the right-wing party said would tackle the unfounded conspiracy theory that says Muslims are converting Hindu women to Islam through marriage.
The proposed legislation came amid a string of attacks on churches over allegations that Christians were converting Hindus.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Handicap (rated 95-108) US$125,000 2000m (Dirt).
Winner: Don’t Give Up, Gerald Mosse (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (95 ) $160,000 2810m (Turf).
Winner: Los Barbados, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.40pm: Handicap (80-89) $60,000 1600m (D).
Winner: Claim The Roses, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (Div-1) Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D)
Winner: Gold Town, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Cape Verdi Group 2 $200,000 1600m (T).
Winner: Promising Run, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.25pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D).
Winner: El Chapo, Luke Morris, Fawzi Nass.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20specs
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Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
