SHUBHANGI SIFA
Ranchi, Feb 10: The Hijab controversy in Karnataka has now started affecting colleges in Jharkhand as well. Thursday morning in Ranchi saw an agitation by students of Doranda College in the college premises. When removed from the college, the agitation grew right outside the gates of the college till police from the Doranda Police station arrived and pacified the students to end the protest.
Doranda College principal Dr B P Verma on the matter said, “A limited number of students were involved in the ‘hijaab’ demonstration, but outsiders also joined when the students were removed from the college campus. Girls, however, were not involved in this.”
Professor S Chaturvedi, Head of Management of Commerce said, “The college staff believes that this is not a matter related to the college, so the students protesting inside the campus were asked not to spoil the atmosphere of the academic institution.”
He further added, “There is no such written instruction from the Ranchi University that states that Hijaabs or Burqas for that matter will be or not be allowed in college campuses. However, I believe, as the uniforms have been provided to maintain equability and uniformity in the campus, and also to keep the students united. The uniforms provide a feeling of equality among students and raising such issues affects the overall student unity. Such matters should not be politicized; instead, being students, the children should focus on studies and not politics.”
When contacted, RU PRO Pritam avoided commenting on the issue, stating it was a controversial matter.
Meanwhile, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University PRO, Rajesh Kumar Singh said, “Universities and colleges have been made another playground for politics. Instead of focusing on studies, several students involve themselves in such petty politics to make a face value. Students should be inspired by other students that clear exams and score high marks but instead they choose politics.”
Singh further added, “We have uniforms and a dress code for all UG, PG, and other vocational courses. We have several students that attend the colleges in Hijabs and Burqas. The university believes this is a sensitive issue and should not be commented over by academic institutions. This issue has been raised in Karnataka because of a law that was made by the government there, but no such laws have even been proposed in the state or colleges.”
Schools including SR DAV and others avoided commenting over the issue, while the managements of JVM Shyamali, Surendranath, St Xavier’s and Sapphire International could not be contacted.
Principal Dr Ashok Kumar of DAV Alok on the matter said, “CBSE affiliated schools have a uniform and dress code. Such issues have not been raised in schools yet, nor have the parents raised concerns over it. We don’t want to get involved in this issue. Education should be left off of politics.”
“In case of smaller children we tell them to dress up whichever way they want outside the campus, but follow the dress code in schools. We have suits for students above classes while till that, we have knee length skirts, blouses and stockings for girls. Other than this we also have a proper dress code for boys. Parents of our students have also not questioned this till now, nor have they raised such issues,” Kumar added.
