We have no prejudice against burqa or hijab: Trustee

Days after the principal of Viva College of Law Dr Batul Hamid resigned from her post alleging that the staff and management had created an ldquounharmoniousrdquo and ldquosuffocatingrdquo atmosphere in the college following the antihijab campaign in Karnataka the management of the institute has refuted the allegations The management has maintained that Dr Hamid never approached them about the issue and resigned on her ownWe have no prejudice against burqa or hijab Trustee of Virar law collegeDr Hamidrsquos resignation letter dated March 16 reads ldquoIt is a matter of general notice that as the Principal of VIVA College of Law since my appointment on 19th July 2019 on the substantial post my work has always been admired by the Management Committee the teaching as well as nonteaching staff and the students but for a few days I feel uncomfortable as the atmosphere around me is made unharmonious and suffocating so it is hardly possible to continue to discharge my duties as the Principal of VIVA College of Law I hence tender my resignation with immediate effect sicrdquo When contacted Vasai MLA Hitendra Thakur whose family runs the Vishnu Waman Thakur Charitable Trust which runs the college said that Dr Hamid never approached the management about being harassed over wearing a hijabClarifying the institutersquos stance Thakur said ldquoYou can come to our college and see how many hijabclad students come to our college We have teaching and nonteaching staff belonging to various religions and communities and have never faced such allegations of discrimination in over three decades As an educational institution we have always embraced and respected all religions And if we had a prejudice against burqa or hijab why would we have hired her in the first place There are also students who come wearing hijab Her allegations are baseless I was informed that the principal tendered her resignation on March 16 around 11 pm But she never approached the managementrdquoDr Hamid however said ldquoWhen I have mentioned in the resignation letter that I feel the atmosphere in the institution has become unharmonious and suffocating it is the college managementrsquos responsibility to talk to me about it They never bothered to discuss this and accepted the resignation which itself indicates that they wanted me gonerdquoSharing his opinion on the issue Aamir Edresy president and founder of the Association of Muslim Professionals said ldquoPeople in the country have found a new topic to spread hatred It is very sad to learn that an academic had to face such a thing I feel it is the fundamental right of an individual to wear what they want to further as a Muslim it is her basic right to follow her religious belief However I also feel that she should have clearly mentioned in her resignation letter that she felt she was being targeted for wearing hijab I request the management to investigate the matter discuss it with Dr Batul Hamid and resolve it through a positive approachrdquo