K'taka: Burqa-clad Muslim male students dance on stage, suspended

The college does not support or condone any activities that could harm the harmony between communities and everyone, read a tweet from the college's official Twitter handle.

Mangaluru: Four engineering Muslim male students tried to pull off an impromptu show by dancing clad in burqa on stage but were eventually suspended by the college authorities following outrage over making a 'mockery of sentiments'. The suspensions were ordered after, as usual, the video of this freak incident went viral on social media. The incident took place at St Joseph College in Mangaluru, Karnataka, on Wednesday.

The video of them dancing wearing burqa offended sentiments and triggered outrage. The engineering college authorities tweeted the action taken and also issued a media statement to prevent further escalation of tensions.

Though it was an informal event in the college, the authorities took a serious view considering the matters of social harmony. The students in question, who belong to the Muslim community, barged onto the stage unannounced and broke into a dance number on a Hindi song wearing burqa. The video triggered a mass outrage with some alleging it was tantamount to making a 'mockery' of burqa and hijab.

Taking cognisance of the matter, the college management suspended the concerned students after an internal inquiry. "It was not part of the approved program and the students involved have been suspended pending an enquiry. The college does not support or condone any activities that could harm the harmony between communities," read a tweet from the college's official Twitter handle.

Principal in-charge Dr Sudheer M also issued a statement to the media on the same. "The video clip being circulated in social media has captured a part of the dance by students of the Muslim community itself who barged on stage during the informal part of the students association inaugural," he said.