Karnataka government withholds award to teacher over hijab row

The state government announced the best teacher award to BG Ramakrishna, principal of Kundapur government pre-university college in Udupi, during Teacher’s Day celebrations on Thursday. However, the award was later withheld following backlash on social media and by members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

Ramakrishna is accused of asking Muslim students wearing headscarves to stand outside the institute during the hijab row in 2022.

The controversy emerged in late 2021 when the Muslim students in Udupi district were denied entry to junior colleges over their decision to wear hijabs. The institutes denied them entry stating that the headscarves were against their uniform policy. The dispute spread to other parts of the state. It eventually led to the then-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government issuing an order, which stated that the uniform policy must be upheld with no exceptions being made for hijabs. Ramakrishna had allegedly denied entry to students in the Kundapur government pre-university college in compliance with the government order.

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Speaking on the developments on Thursday, primary and secondary education minister Madhu Bangarappa, said, “The manner in which he treated the children (making them stand outside the institute in the sun) is the issue… If he was following any government order, it had to be carried out in a certain manner. If it is not in a certain manner, then it will be questioned.”

Bangarappa said a decision will be taken after more details of the allegations are revealed. He also urged that the issue shouldn’t be politicised. He said: “No vindictive politics is happening. There is a district committee for the selection of names of deserving candidates when someone applies for the award.”

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“The committee will send it to the head office and at the head office there is another committee to look into it. In this particular issue, they overlooked certain things. Once the issue came forward, the decision was made to withhold the award for some time,” he said.

Former BJP MLA Raghupathi Bhat, who was the then president of the Udupi girls government pre-university college from where the hijab row started in 2021, said the government’s action smacked of petty and vindictive politics. “The move will only lead to a confrontation and is nothing but trying to appease the minority community,’’ he said.

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Udupi MLA and BJP leader Yashpal Anand Suvarna said: “Ramakrishna was selected on the basis of his merit and his achievements and the government.’’ Mangaluru City North BJP MLA Y Bharath Shetty also noted: “The principal was only implementing the government order.’’

Vice president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad North Karnataka, Govardhan Rao,questioned the government’s decision to withhold the award. “We condemn the decision because the award was given to people who have done an excellent job in the education side, so holding his name because of some other reason is condemnable.”

SDPI state general secretary Afsar Kodlipet maintained that if the principal was following the government order, then he should have allowed the students inside the campus, made them sit in his chambers and explain the issue. “Instead he functioned as a watchman and made the girls stand outside the gate though they were wearing uniforms,” he added.

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