Maintain peace, harmony, CM urges studentsThe hijab controversy in Karnataka took an ugly turn on Tuesday as pro and anti-hijab students clashed in several parts of the State. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai appealed to students to maintain peace and ordered the closure of schools and colleges for three days.
In a tweet, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “I appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges as well as people of Karnataka to maintain peace and harmony. I have ordered the closure of all high schools and colleges for the next three days. All concerned are requested to cooperate.”
As protests for and against the hijab intensified at colleges in different parts of Karnataka, State’s Home Minister Araga Jnanendra also appealed for peace and said no one should give an opportunity to use the police force.
The Home Minister’s warning came as tension prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote, and other parts, forcing the police and authorities to intervene.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court began hearing the petitions filed by five girls studying in a Government Pre-university College in Udupi, questioning hijab restriction in college. The court appealed to the students to maintain peace and posted the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.
“You (students) are all educated, you have to think about your future. After two years of Covid-19, this year classes have been conducted in a good way. This is the time for you to prepare for your exams that are coming up in a couple of months,” the Home minister said.
Noting that religious forces behind such incidents have to be quelled and everyone should think about the country, the Minister in a video statement said, “We should all stand together as brothers, as the children of this country. Uniform is a sign of equality. Educational institutions are not the place for practicing our religion or to showcase our costumes.’ ‘Everyone should maintain peace. Don’t give an opportunity to use the police force. I appeal to parents to guide their children and let’s all work towards colleges functioning in a peaceful manner.”
Protests erupted at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in Udupi after a large group of students wearing saffron stoles and headgears raised slogans on the college campus as hijab-clad Muslim girls were staging a protest demanding justice, forcing the police and college authorities to intervene. Some colleges have declared holidays in the district.
A minor stone petting incident has been reported near a college in Bagalkote and a few students even tried to barge into the campus, whom police dispersed using mild force.
A similar incident was also reported at a college in the Shivamogga district, and police had to intervene to bring the tense situation under control.
According to sources, some students even tried to hoist the saffron flag at the college premises. Similar protests have been reported at colleges in Mandya, Vijayapura, and Gadag districts.
Last week, the State Government had issued an order to make uniforms prescribed by it or the management of private institutions mandatory for its students at schools and pre-university colleges across the state.
The issue that initially began in January at a government PU College in Udupi where six students, who attended classes wearing head-scarf in violation of the stipulated dress code were asked to leave the campus, has spread to different parts of the state, with Hindu students too responding with saffron shawls.
Hindu students coming with saffron shawls are also being barred from classes.
The row has also taken a political colour, as the ruling has BJP stood strongly in support of uniform related rules being enforced by educational institutions, calling the headscarf, a religious symbol, while the opposition Congress has come out in support of Muslim girls.
Meanwhile, the raging hijab controversy in Karnataka reverberated in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdury raised it in the House and asked the Government to give a statement on the issue. The Congress leader said “discrimination” on the basis of religion should not be happening and people are being attacked for wearing hijab.
At this point, there was some uproar from the treasury benches and Speaker Om Birla allowed Karnataka BJP MP Shiv Kumar Udasi to have his say on the issue.
Udasi said even though Congress is “making hue and cry” over the hijab, the issue is sub-judice in many states and should not be raised here.
The issue was raised under “matters of urgent public interest” before the House took up the discussion on the general Budget.