CUK initiates probe into hijab allegation against assistant professor in Kalaburagi

The Central University of Karnataka has launched an inquiry into allegations that Assistant Professor Abdul Majeed coerced B.A. students to wear the hijab during a mosque visit. The complaint was filed by a legal advocacy group.

Kalaburagi: The Central University of Karnataka (CUK) in Kalaburagi has initiated an internal inquiry against an assistant professor after allegations emerged that he pressured students to wear the hijab during an academic visit to a mosque.

The complaint, submitted on July 26 by A. Santosh, General Secretary of the Hyderabad-based Legal Rights Protection Forum, accuses Assistant Professor Abdul Majeed, from the Department of History and Archaeology of coercing second-year B.A. students to wear the hijab while visiting a mosque as part of their educational trip.

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Confirming the development, CUK Registrar R.R. Biradar told reporters that the university is treating the complaint seriously. “We have received a formal complaint regarding the conduct of Assistant Professor Abdul Majeed. It is alleged that during an educational tour, students were compelled to wear the hijab before entering a mosque. An inquiry committee will be formed, and appropriate action will be taken if he is found guilty,” he said.

This incident adds to a growing list of hijab-related controversies in Karnataka. Earlier this month, the Jammu and Kashmir Student Association (JKSA) wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding alleged religious discrimination against Kashmiri students at a Bengaluru-based nursing college.

The association claimed that the management of Shri Saubhagya Lalitha College of Nursing, affiliated with Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), had barred female students from attending classes if they wore the hijab or burqa. They were allegedly threatened with expulsion and repeatedly harassed during classes and practical sessions.

The JKSA expressed deep concern over the “religious bias and humiliation” faced by the students and demanded immediate government intervention to ensure their constitutional rights are protected. The issue has reignited the larger debate around the hijab in educational institutions across Karnataka, a state that has witnessed multiple flashpoints on this matter over the past few years.