Kurnool, March 03 : Kashmiri students at the Government College of Nursing in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, are facing blatant religious discrimination during the holy month of Ramadan, as college authorities refused to make basic arrangements for sehri and iftar, and attempted to restrict the wearing of hijab. The students, enrolled under the Indian government’s Special Scholarship Scheme, said their requests for minimal accommodations during Ramadan were rejected. Efforts to bring food from outside for sehri and iftar were also blocked, with authorities reportedly telling them that “if religion was so important, you should not have chosen this college.”
Students further stated that Muslim girls were pressured to remove the hijab and discouraged from visibly practising religious customs on campus. One student said, “We were told to remove our hijab and avoid religious observances. We believe this violates our fundamental rights.”
The affected students described these actions as discriminatory, unjust, and a violation of their constitutional and human rights, highlighting how routine religious practices are being obstructed even as they fulfill all academic and financial obligations to the institution.
This incident underscores the systemic marginalization of Kashmiri and Muslim students in educational institutions under the BJP-allied administration in Andhra Pradesh, raising serious concerns over freedom of religion and equal treatment in India’s higher education system. KMS