Row erupts after Kashmiri nursing students in Karnataka told to shave, trim beard for clinical duties, college clarifies

Hassan: A controversy erupted at the Government College of Nursing in Holenarasipur, Karnataka after some students alleged that around 14 Kashmiri nursing students studying at the institute were being forced to clean shave or trim their long beards for clinical duties. However, the director of Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences recently clarified that it was a misinterpretation and the issue has been resolved amicably.

The row regarding the issue started at the Government College of Nursing in Holenarasipura, which is part of the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences when instructors at the nursing college issued guidelines for students to trim their beards, citing dress code concerns.

Also read- Strict dress code imposed in Telangana Medical Colleges

Based on the complaints, the Jammu and Kashmir Student Association (JKSA) intervened by issuing a show cause notice to the Dean and Director of the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences and writing a letter to Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah informing that there are about 40 Kashmiri students in the college who alleged that they were facing “significant challenges”, reports PTI. 

In the letter, the association said, “It has come to our notice that over two dozen Kashmiri students at the college are facing significant challenges due to restrictive policies concerning their personal appearance. The college administration has reportedly been compelling the Kashmiri students to either trim their beards to a ‘01’ trimmer length or be clean-shaven before they could be allowed to participate in college activities or enter the premises, particularly for clinical duties."

Students who have beards are being marked absent during clinical duties, impacting their academic records and attendance, it alleged. 

“The right to personal appearance, including the choice to grow a beard, is a fundamental aspect of an individual’s freedom and identity. No student should be subjected to such discrimination or forced to compromise their beliefs and practices to access education. Such actions not only infringe upon the rights of these students but also create an atmosphere of fear and exclusion, which is detrimental to the spirit of education and democracy,” the association added. 

Meanwhile, Dr Rajanna B, director of Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences responded to the incident on Sunday and said that there had been a misinterpretation of the instruction and the issue has been resolved amicably.

In a conversation with ANI, the director said "We have a nursing college in Holenarasipura where 14 students from Jammu and Kashmir are studying. Few of them were not punctual and there were complaints about their dress code. They also had long beards. The instructors had issued guidelines for students to trim their beards. As this happened, the students complained to the J&K Students Association. Later we came to know about the issue. We had discussions with the students after which freedom of expression was allowed. The issue is resolved now and the students are happy."

Furthermore, students from the nursing college also said that they were satisfied that the issue was resolved.

"The matter related to keeping a beard was resolved after the discussions with the principal. The management has allowed us to keep the beard. We feel safe and don't have any issues right now. The Principal has assured us that nothing will happen (over this issue) and that we can feel safe," a Kashmiri student said in a video message.

Meanwhile, the medical college administration said it did not target any specific group of students. "Clinical activity requires hygiene. There are certain criteria to participate in it. Accordingly, there is a guideline for all students including Kannadiga students," the college administration said.

Also read- PMCH, NMCH makes white aprons mandatory for doctors