Hijab row: English lecturer resigns on being asked to remove hijab in Tumkuru

While several students in Karnataka have been protesting against the authorities for not allowing them to wear hijab inside the college, including a few returning home, an English lecturer at a private college from Tumkuru district has resigned from her post after she was allegedly asked to remove her hijab by the administration.

Chandini Naaz, an English teacher at Jain Pre University College has resigned from her post after she was refused permission to wear a headscarf inside the campus.

Her resignation letter dated February 16, has gone viral on social media in which she alleged that the college’s administration had asked her to remove her hijab.

“The principal told me that I can’t wear hijab or any religious symbol while teaching. But I have taught for the last three years wearing hijab. This new decision is a hit to my self-respect. That”s why I have decided to resign,” Naaz wrote adding that the right to religion is a constitutional right that nobody can deny. “I condemn your [administration’s] undemocratic act.”

Talking to THG, the 27-year-old lecturer said, “Principal told me that there’s a government order that religious clothing shouldn’t be allowed inside the college. So he asked me remove my hijab. I wasn’t okay with that. I have been lecturing in hijab for the past three years. But I didn’t face any problem until now. I cannot remove my hijab, that’s why I had to resign.”

“I thought the HC order was only applicable to students, but teachers told me it’s applicable even for teachers. I’m not sure how true it is,” she added.

Last week, the Karnataka High Court passed an interim order, restricting students from the use of religious symbols in educational institutions.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had also clarified that the High Court’s order will not apply to degree colleges.

The court’s interim order does not apply to the teachers or students of colleges that do not have a prescribed uniform.

The Jain PU college has accepted the resignation letter of Naaz. “I was not okay without having to teach with hijab. I myself gave the letter. It was my decision, neither the college, nor the principal forced me to resign,” she said.

Further adding that several people are manipulating her words, the teacher said, “I’m not blaming the college, they only followed the HC’s order. But unfortunately everyone has made the college a villian now. It’s not fair. We had very good environment at the college, people were so friendly and cooperative.”

Chandini Naaz who has been wearing hijab since her PU days, said that she cannot leave her home without covering her head. “I can’t leave my home without hijab. It’s my choice, my identity. Hijab is a part of me.”

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