Yahya Hallare
Daijiworld Media Network - Bhatkal (SP)
Bhatkal, Mar 2: Since the last over two weeks, students of the government first grade college at Rangikatte here have been attending college, duly wearing saffron shawls over their shoulders. On Wednesday March 1, however, four students wearing saffron shawls beat up another student who had come to the college without the shawl. The incident took an ugly turn after a police complaint was filed against the attackers.
Students supported by some Hindu outfits have been attending college with saffron shawls since the last two to three weeks, to register their protest against four Muslim guest lady lecturers coming to college with burqas. Even some lecturers were found wearing saffron shawls.
It is said that they drew inspiration from provocative statements made by MP, Anant Kumar Hegde. Although the taluk administration, police personnel and leaders of Namdhari community held meeting with the students and tried to convince them not to give rise to unnecessary dispute by wearing saffron shawls, the students had stood their ground. They had stuck to their stand that they would not relent till the Muslim lecturers attend college without burqas. As it was found that there was no restriction in the dress code of the college about the clothes that can be worn by students and teaching staff, assistant commissioner, M N Manjunath, had opined that everyone can wear the clothes of their choice. He had also warned the concerned that the guilty would be acted against strictly if peace gets disturbed on this issue.
It is said that students wearing saffron shawls had been bringing pressure on other students also to follow suit. College students, Raghavendra, Jeevan, Sandeep and Abhishek allegedly assaulted Jayant Naik, a BA degree course fourth semester student, for not wearing saffron shawl when attending the college on Wednesday. The case has been registered in the town station here.
It will be interesting to see what turn this case will take and what steps the police personnel will initiate to settle the dress code dispute.