Three Hindu students expelled from MES College Chikkamagaluru for wearing sacred Ayyappa Mala. The students, first-year PU students observing their 41-day vrata for the Sabarimala pilgrimage, arrived in prescribed college uniform along with traditional black clothing and Ayyappa mala on December 1, 2025. The principal objected and ordered them to remove the mala, claiming it violated dress rules. When they refused, they were expelled from the campus.
Hindu organization leaders, including BJP District President Devaraj Shetty, Bajrang Dal activists, and Yuva Morcha President Santosh, protested at the college. They questioned why hijab and burqa had been permitted earlier under religious rights claims, while Hindu students were barred from expressing faith through a simple sacred mala. After heated protests and discussions, the principal allowed students back into classes, stating the matter would be reviewed with administration.
The incident sparked statewide outrage over selective enforcement of uniform rules. Hindu leaders condemned the administration’s double standards, asking how a Hindu student in his own country could be punished for following dharma while hijab is defended as constitutional freedom. This follows a similar incident in Shivamogga where Brahmin students appearing for CET exams were forced to remove their sacred janeu threads. The pattern reveals systematic discrimination against Hindu religious practices in Karnataka’s educational institutions under the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government.
