A college in Mangaluru in Karnataka triggered a controversy after it allegedly imposed a ban on Muslim women students from wearing hijab and male students from sporting beard on the campus.
The decision of Srinivas College of Pharmacy has drawn wide-spread outrage with a section of students and parents staging protests against the administration. They accused the college authority of curbing religious freedom.
The college administration said that the hijab was banned to maintain a uniform dress code. They maintained that the parents had agreed to the condition at the time of admission but now they were protesting.
Meanwhile, some students also alleged that the authorities did not allow enough time for Muslim students to attend prayers during lunch break on Fridays.
Following the protests, the college administration has held talks with students and parents and sought two weeks time to sort out the issue.
