IISER Pune Students, Professors Protest In Solidarity Against Hijab Ban In Karnataka

Manisha Swain

Pune, 11th February 2022: The controversy over the hijab ban at educational institutes in Karnataka is resonating in Maharashtra also. The girls from the Muslim community had protested against the hijab ban.

On February 9, students and professors at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, an autonomous institute under the Government of India’s Ministry of Education, extended support to Muslim girls in Karnataka. Students and professors of the institute gathered on the campus and protested against the decision of the Karnataka government.

Kalpa IISER Pune, a Twitter handle of student media body of IISER Pune, tweeted photos of the protest.

“Faculty and students of IISER, Pune, stand in solidarity with the students who were barred from entering the Pre-University College in Udupi, Karnataka for wearing the hijab.

In the light of this incident, the gathering convened to voice their discontent over curtailing one’s freedom of choosing what to wear. They stand by the belief that it is the moral responsibility of members of the academic community to speak up against any form of discrimination.

The gathering is scheduled to happen in the Biology department wing, Main Building, at 4 PM for the next one week,” the tweets read.