Young students care two hoots, defy police presence

Bengaluru/Mysuru: Even as the hijab issue that began in Udupi has touched two weeks since its inception, the students have learnt to defy the law and disregard the authority of the police. In many cases, a large number of students wearing hijab argued loudly with the police who stopped them from entering the schools and colleges.

Followed by them was the saffron shawl clad students who not only did not stop but marched on to the college brushing away the police cordon. This happened in Tiptur in the Tumakuru district. The students raised 'Jai Shriram' slogans and marched on into the classrooms. Later the principal of the college had summoned the police to the college and had the students warned of unruly behaviour on the school campus. However, the hijab-wearing students remained in the school till the end of the day unruffled by the developments.

The hijab-wearing students were given a different place to sit inside the college in Udupi and Kundapur composite colleges while the saffron wearing students continued in the normal classes considering their numbers that were in bigger numbers. The teachers of these two colleges have reported that for the first time since the covid problem began they had experienced 100 per cent attendance on Monday- just a day before the High court would hear the cases and perhaps give a direction to the education department towards normalising things through a firm policy towards maintaining dress code in the classes.

State primary education minister BC Nagesh said that no classes will be taken for any kind of shawl or hijab-clad students in any college of the state. Speaking to media persons here on Monday he said that today those students who wore Hijab and Shawl in Kundapura in the Udupi district were allowed to sit in separate classrooms. But no classes were taken.

He said that Hijab clad students should not be made to stand on the roads hence allowed to sit in class. He said they are all children of our society but the Muslim party politicians were using their innocence for their benefit. He said colleges are not providing religious education they should understand this. We will convince them.

He said that 'we are awaiting the verdict of the high court till Tuesday, February 8'. He said that they should remove Hijab on the college premises. They should stage protests to get entry into mosques and for their rights. He should not agitate in the education system. He said in Kolar, students are allowed to offer Namaz in the classroom, which will not be allowed anymore.

In Honnali in Davanagere district, Hijab-wearing students had a loud argument with the MLA and Chief Minister's media advisor MP Renukacharya. The students faced the MLA on the school campus and disregarded his advice to remove the Hijab and sit in the class. But they just proceeded to class stating that we have been wearing hijab and so will it be in the future. Renukacharya left the campus quietly thereafter. In Chikkamagaluru the left backed organisation called 'Samana Manaskara Vedike' (a like-minded organisation) helped the students to organise a massive protest. 1500 hijab and burqa wearing students met at the Azad maidan in the Chikkamaluru city. It was not just students but also their parents, Muslim fringe groups and political activists who had also gathered in good numbers and raised slogans against Hindu organisations and school managements in the district.

Similarly in Gadag, Shivamogga, Belagavi and Hubballi have joined the pro and anti-hijab movement. Muslim elders in Belagavi backed by a few Muslim organisations and political parties have declared that they will go to Udupi and Kundapur in big numbers and hold protests against the schools and officials. They appealed to the government to allow hijab-wearing students into the class.

There are all chances that communally sensitive cities like Mangaluru and Bengaluru might also experience pro and anti hijab movements sooner or later as politicos are planning to unleash such protests in those cities also. This will be a disaster I hope the High court order put everything in its place exclaimed a senior bureaucrat in Bengaluru.

Tharoor tweets in support of hijab-wearing students

The MP from Thiruvananthapuram and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has tweeted today on the incident of Hijab wearing girls made to sit inside a different room in Kundapur composite college due to the hijab row that is sweeping various Karnataka districts.

Severely criticising the action of the school management, Shashi Tharoor tweeted ''Breaking news from Karnataka or heart-breaking news? Since when is religious segregation permitted in our country for secular activities like general education? Does this college have no copy of the Constitution? (sic). This tweet pointed out the action of this college to make hijab-wearing students to sit separately. Sources said that the College Development Committee took this step as it did not want protests by hijab-wearing girl students at the gate 'attracting' outsiders.