HC's interim order sparks fresh hijab row in Bengaluru; protest erupts after student asked to remove scarf

News Network

February 12, 2022

Bengaluru, Feb 12: In the wake of Karnataka High Court’s controversial interim order restrained students from wearing religious symbols inside the classroom until final verdict, tension gripped Chandra Layout in South Bengaluru on Saturday morning after authorities at a private school asked a student to remove the hijab.

The incident took place at the Vidya Sagar School in Bengaluru when a student of class 7 was asked to remove her hijab by the school teacher. Agitated by the teacher’s action, parents and relatives of the student stormed the school, accusing the school management of causing a rift among the students.

However, the school authorities said that the girl was briefed about the HC order and there was no other intention behind it. But, the parents also alleged that a teacher at the school wrote an offensive remark about the hijab on the blackboard, and demanded suspension of the teacher.

Later as the situation became tense with more and more people descending on the school, Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Bengaluru South visited the school and heard both sides. The officer also appealed to protesters to abide by the HC rule and assured of investigating the incident.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

Comments