It may be a stray incident: CM Bommai on two students skipping exam for not allowing hijab-wearing
Kalaburagi/Bengaluru, Apr 22: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday termed as stray incident two students not appearing for the second PUC (class 12) exam after being denied permission to enter the examination hall as they were wearing hijabs.
"I'm not aware of it, it may be a stray incident. Our Education Minister will look into it," the Chief Minister, who was in Kalaburagi district to attend BJP meetings, told reporters when asked about the girls not writing the exam after not being allowed to do so as they had the hijabs on.
Asked if the two students would be given another chance to write the exam, he said, "Whatever the Education Minister will say on this will be our (govt) stand."
The two girls arrived at the exam centre by wearing hijab. They insisted that they be allowed to write the exam wearing hijab but the college authorities, citing the High Court order, denied them entry.
Later, the girls returned home.
As there is a ban on hijab or any cloth linked to religious identity, the authorities made arrangements at exam centres for the Muslim girls to remove their headscarves before entering the halls.
The girls who turned up at the examination wearing hijabs said they would remove them in the separate enclosure and wear them again after the exam is over.
The second-year pre-university examinations started in the State today amid tight security and in the shadow of the hijab row.
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Noida airport to begin ops next month with IndiGo flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru
Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.
The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.
Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.
As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.
The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.
IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.
The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.
Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.
"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.
IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.
