A controversy erupted in Chikkamagaluru after MES College sent out two Hindu students for wearing the sacred Ayyappa Mala as part of their annual 41-day vrata. The incident triggered outrage among Hindu organizations, who accused the college administration of blatant discrimination against Hindu religious practices.

According to reports from Public TV, the two students had arrived in the prescribed college uniform, along with traditional black clothing worn during the Ayyappa deeksha. However, the management allegedly stopped them at the entrance and ordered them to remove the mala, claiming it violated dress rules. When the students refused, they were expelled from the campus.

Soon after, leaders from Hindu organizations, including representatives of the Bajrang Dal, BJP District President Devaraj Shetty, and Yuva Morcha President Santosh, visited the college and confronted the administration. They questioned why hijab and burqa had been permitted on campus earlier under the claim of religious rights, while Hindu students were being barred from expressing their faith through a simple sacred mala.

The leaders strongly criticized the college’s double standards, stating:

“If hijab is allowed in the name of religious freedom, how can a Hindu student in his own country be punished for following his dharma? Why is discrimination visible only when it comes to Hindu traditions?”

They condemned the administration’s actions as anti-Hindu prejudice and demanded immediate corrective measures, asserting that Bharat’s constitutional rights cannot apply selectively to one community while suppressing another.

The incident has sparked widespread reactions on social media, with many calling it a clear example of targeted hostility against Hindu practices in educational institutions.

What is unfolding in Karnataka under the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government has now become impossible to ignore. Hijab in classrooms is defended as constitutional freedom; Christian crosses and other symbols are overlooked without objection, yet the moment it comes to Hindu identity markers like Ayyappa mala or janeu, the same administration turns intolerant and aggressive.

This discrimination has become systematic. Only months ago in Shivamogga, Brahmin students appearing for the CET exam were forced to remove their sacred janeu threads inside the exam hall, humiliating them in the name of rules. Today, Ayyappa devotees in Chikkamagaluru are expelled for wearing the mala they must keep for 41 days as part of their vow.

What does the government gain by targeting students for simply practicing their faith? Why is Hindu religiosity treated as a threat while others receive unquestioned accommodations? This pattern is not accidental; it is the direct outcome of a government that bends over backwards to appease Islamist pressure groups while showing hostility towards Hindu traditions, even in educational spaces.

At least now, people must recognize who they voted for and what ideology they have empowered. A government that cannot tolerate Hindu students wearing a mala or a sacred thread but proudly defends religious symbols of only one community is not practicing secularism; it is enforcing selective suppression.

The people of Karnataka need to wake up to this dangerous bias. Hindu practices are not a crime, and no administration has the moral authority to shame students for honoring their dharma.