Hijab verdict: Udupi student-petitioners, Muslim girls in Shivamogga skip classes, exams
Traders in Bhatkal observe Bandh to "lodge their dissatisfaction"
Bengaluru(PTI): The six Muslim girl students of the Government Pre University Girls College in the coastal town of Udupi did not turn up for classes on Wednesday, a day after their petition seeking permission to wear hijab inside classrooms was dismissed by the Karnataka High Court.
In its 129-page order the High Court had held that Hijab is not an Essential Religious Practice and upheld the Karnataka Government's order banning the use of any cloth on the campus that could disturb peace, harmony and public order.
The girls stuck to their stand that they will not enter the college without the headscarf and would fight the case legally. They were absent when the preparatory exams of the second pre-university classes were going on.
In Kamala Nehru College in Shivamogga, which had seen disturbances over the Hijab row earlier, 15 girls returned home saying that they will not enter college without wearing hijab.
It was in this district headquarters town that a Bajrang Dal activist was hacked to death recently, leading to tension. The 15 girls arrived with burqa and hijab but the college management barred entry, and they decided not to attend classes.
One of them told reporters that hijab was their religious right and identity and they cannot enter the college without it.
"Today was the last day to submit our assignments but we are not allowed inside the class. We requested them (college authorities) to allow us but the college said the court order has to be followed. It is not the fault of principal or the teachers. Actually we did not get justice," another girl said.
Meanwhile, in Muslim-dominated Bhatkal town in Uttara Kannada district, a section of traders observed Bandh to "lodge their dissatisfaction" over the Karnataka High Court order.
The Burma Bazaar, Main Road, Madina Colony and Navayat Colony in Bhatkal wore deserted look.
Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said the government will not succumb to any threat from those "who wanted the High Court order pertaining to hijab in their favour"
"We have to understand that we are Indians and Kannadigas first. The adamant posture of the girls that the order should have been in their favour is not proper. Our government will not succumb to any threats," Narayan told reporters in Magadi in Ramanagara district.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
