Closing the Gates to Education, Violations of rights of Muslim women students in Karnataka

PUCL – Karnataka acknowledges the hardships endured and the struggles waged by Muslim
women across the state. Their fearlessness is visible in the various ways in which they have
resisted and demanded for their fundamental rights to be upheld.
The team is both highly indebted and inspired by the grit of the many young Muslim girls
and other respondents who relived their experiences of trauma, loss and anguish, and
shared them with us. They showed immense strength and courage in their pursuit for
education. The team hereby also thanks the many interlocutors and local civil society
organisations who connected PUCL-K with students, activists, teachers and educators
from across the state.
In addition, the team is extremely grateful for the inputs of Arvind Narrain, who co-authored the Chapter ‘Legal Analysis of the High Court & Supreme Court judgements’ and
shared critical insights that helped shape the study’s objectives as well as analysis.
The team thanks Prof. Y.J. Rajendra for aiding the team with his inputs and sharing his
imagination of the role of this study. He helped guide the team’s efforts to ensure that the
courts as well as all citizens must pay attention to the trials and tribulations of the Muslim
students. The team also thanks Shujayathulla for his patient and unwavering support, in
collecting data and the required documents for the report.
The team sincerely thanks Manavi Atri and Swathi Shivanand for authoring the Chapter
‘Weaponising the Camera: Vigilante Actions of the Kannada TV Media’ and helping make
this report a reminder for the future about the abuse of power of biased and ideology-driven media platforms.
PUCL-K also gives thanks to Shaima Amatullah for the insights she shared from the critical
research she has developed over years of work. Her reflections on the complex issue of
learners’ agency in the face of socially dominant forces helped us to broaden our
understanding of the issues that followed the imposed ban on the hijab.
PUCL-K also expresses its gratitude to Aiman Khan for working closely with the team in
preparing the timeline of events and the recommendations to various authorities. Her
insights on understanding the prevalent discourse on the issue has been critical to the
report.
The team extends its sincere appreciation and gratitude to Swati Shukla, Abhishek P,
Rubayya Tasneem, Nida K, Diya Elizabeth and Adithi Holla who worked with the team at
different parts of the study and provided valuable inputs.
PUCL-K is extremely grateful to Manavi Atri, Mohammed Afeef and Vinay Sreenivasa for
critical comments and editing, which greatly benefitted the final form of the report.
Related Issue
Right to Dignity, Right to Education, Right to Equality
Tags
Education, Hijab ban, Karnataka