Students say told to trim beards, college director asserts ‘resolved’

Amid a row over 14 students from Jammu and Kashmir, studying at the government nursing college in Holenarasipura, being asked to trim their long beard, the director of the institute on Sunday said that the issue has been resolved and the “students are happy”.

Students say told to trim beards, college director asserts ‘resolved’

On Saturday, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) wrote to chief minister Siddaramaiah and Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah stating that some students in the Karnataka government nursing college, affiliated with the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences in Karnataka, have alleged that the college authorities instructed them to trim or shave their beards as part of a professional dress code.

In response, director of the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr Rajanna B said that the issue had been resolved following discussions with the students.

The issue came to light when 14 students who study under the Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) in the nursing college informed the JKSA that they have been issued warning that they would be marked absent from classes if they did not comply with grooming standards.

“Students who have beards are being marked absent during clinical duties, impacting their academic records and attendance,” the association said in its communication.

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, the association wrote to the CM.

Reacting to the policy, college principal Chandrashekar Hadapad said the need for a professional grooming standard, particularly in nursing, was a field “where discipline is critical.”

He said: “We held a detailed discussion with all the teachers, including the clinical instructor. While we understand there may be cultural sensitivities, we only asked them for basic grooming to maintain a professional environment. Moreover, the students have a shortage in attendance and are not regular for clinical activities.”

Dr Rajanna B 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.”

He said: “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,” he added.

Following these discussions, the college administration has allowed students to maintain their beards.

With PTI inputs