Hijab row in Karnataka: Kashmiri nursing students locked out?

We’re talking about a case that’s once again put Karnataka in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: a college, a piece of cloth, and four young women asking: Can my hijab keep me from my classroom?

At the centre of this storm is the Sri Soubhagya Lalitha College of Nursing in Bengaluru. Four Kashmiri students allege they’ve been denied entry into classes, barred from exams, and even threatened with expulsion, all because they refused to remove their hijab or burqa.

These girls say they’ve been wearing the same attire since they joined in 2023, no questions asked. But everything changed when a new principal took charge. Suddenly, their clothes were a problem.

One of the students told EdexLive and I quote “No one objected when we joined. Now, they say it’s unacceptable. But our burqa has never hurt anyone.”

They claim the chairman himself walked into class and told them to “Get out” if they didn’t remove their hijab. And when they tried to reason, bringing up Article 25, the right to practice their religion, they say the principal told them that this is a private college with its own set of rules

The students say they were even ready to remove the burqa during exams if needed for security checks, but the college demanded a written response that they would never wear it on campus again.

Now, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has stepped in. They’ve written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, demanding action. They’ve called this a clear violation of the Constitution, the right to religion, the right to education, and the right to equality.

The college says they’re only following “university rules.” But so far, no official document has surfaced that actually bans hijabs for nursing students, not in Karnataka, not in Kashmir, not anywhere in India.

So is this about discipline and dress codes, or does it cross the line into outright religious discrimination?

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So what happens next? The students are still waiting. They say they’ve been standing outside the gates for days, missing classes, missing exams, their future hanging by a thread.

So, here’s the question we want to leave you with: Should a hijab decide whether someone is allowed to sit for an exam? Or should education, by definition, stay larger than dress codes and religious divides?