AhlulBayt News Agency: The controversy came to light after the Jammu Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) submitted a formal complaint to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing the Sri Soubhagya Lalitha College of Nursing of targeting the students on religious grounds and threatening them with expulsion.
Speaking to The Indian Express, RGUHS Registrar (Evaluation) Riyaz Basha said, “We’ve already taken statements from the college principal and chairman. We’ve now called the affected students to hear their side before deciding the next course of action, due by government regulations.”
According to the college’s version submitted to RGUHS, students were asked to temporarily remove their veils for identification purposes before entering practical sessions. The college also stated that religious attire is not permitted during clinical postings and patient visits, where standard uniforms are mandatory.
Basha clarified, “There is no discrimination. These measures are taken keeping in mind patient care protocols and institutional discipline.”
The incident has reignited debate over religious expression in educational spaces, particularly in Karnataka, where a major hijab-related controversy unfolded in 2022 following a ban at a Udupi pre-university college.
Nasir Khuehami, the national convener of the JKSA, sharply criticized the college administration’s actions, calling them “a direct and dangerous violation of constitutional rights.”
“These Kashmiri students have been systematically humiliated and denied education solely because of their religious attire,” Khuehami said. “The chairman reportedly entered the classroom and told the hijab-wearing students to leave immediately, stating, ‘This is our college, only our rules apply.’”
He further alleged that students were threatened with expulsion, academic record withholding, and campus entry bans unless they removed their hijabs. “They were told that hijab and purdah aren’t allowed for medical students even in Kashmir, and that fundamental rights do not apply inside the college. These are absurd, Islamophobic claims,” Khuehami added.
Citing Articles 25, 15, and 21A of the Indian Constitution, he condemned the college’s conduct as unconstitutional. “No one should be forced to choose between their education and their faith,” he said, urging the Karnataka government and university authorities to ensure accountability and safeguard students’ rights.
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