A guest lecturer has quit her job at a college in Karnataka after being allegedly asked to remove her hijab to comply with a court directive, the first time the row over the religious clothing has singed a teacher after thousands of students have been turned away from educational institutions.

Chandini, the guest lecturer of English at Jain Pre-University College at Tumkur city in southern Karnataka, said she had been wearing the hijab to the institution for three years, and being told to remove it had hurt her self-respect.

She put in her papers on Wednesday and said in a video message: “I have been working as a guest lecturer at Jain PU College for the last three years. I never faced any issues these three years and I have been working very comfortably.

“But yesterday (Tuesday) morning, my principal told me that he has orders not to allow any religious clothing such as the hijab in the classrooms. That affected my self-respect, especially since I have been working wearing the hijab for three years. So I have resigned on my own because I am not okay working without the hijab.”

The college did not make an official statement on the matter but an employee who declined to be named said no one had asked Chandni to remove the hijab.

Students arrive to attend classes at Desheeya Vidhyashala Samithi PU College in Shivamogga, Karnataka, on Friday. PTI photo

The Karnataka government had on Thursday directed students of schools managed by the minority welfare department not to wear religious clothing like the hijab. This is apart from the schools and pre-university colleges that have Classes XI and XII — and have prescribe uniforms — that are already barred from allowing students to wear religious clothing, in keeping with an interim order of Karnataka High Court that is hearing a batch of petitions seeking the right to wear the hijab.

Although the court had made it clear that the order applied only to those institutions that prescribed uniforms, degree colleges have also not been allowing students wearing the hijab to enter, sparking more protests.

Police booked 15 students, without naming any of them, for allegedly violating prohibitory orders outside Empress College in Tumkur, based on a complaint lodged by the principal. This is the first case in which students demanding that they be allowed to wear the hijab to educational institutions have been booked.

Home minister Araga Jnanendra had recently cautioned that the government would not go soft on the matter and all those who violate rules would have to face action.

However, a college in Bijapur was on Friday forced to allow a student who was earlier denied entry for wearing vermilion on his forehead. Bajrang Dal activists stormed the Government Pre-University College in Indi and shouted slogans against the college authorities, who then allowed him to attend classes.

The Bajrang Dal activists have demanded suspension of the principal “for not recognising a Hindu tradition”.

Protests continued at several colleges across the state for the third day after they were reopened on Wednesday following a break when protests against the hijab turned violent.

The hearing of the petitions filed by several students seeking their right to wear the hijab continued for the sixth day on Friday. A three-judge bench of Karnataka High Court has been hearing the petitions from 2.30pm every day.

The Karnataka government on Friday contended before the court that the hijab was not an essential religious practice of Islam and preventing its use did not violate Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom.