Congress speaks out on Udupi hijab row: Girls’ rights being violated

At the Kundapur college on Friday, girls wearing hijabs, who came along with their parents, protested outside the college gates. As a counter-protest, a few Hindu boys entered the premises wearing saffron scarves. The boys were asked to take off their the scarves and attend classes.

Accusing the BJP of communalising the issue, Siddaramaiah said, “The BJP is making an issue of it by demanding the right to wear saffron scarves. They are doing it intentionally. Did they wear it earlier? Is it part of their custom?”

Congress’s Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge told The Indian Express, “It is not good to harass the girls because of the dress they wear. Our country has a diverse culture. They (Karnataka BJP) should not make a big issue out of it. The Constitution gives you the freedom… if you take those away with your might, it is not good.”

U T Khader, deputy leader of the Congress in the Karnataka Assembly, said the girls should be allowed to attend classes wearing the hijab “if they wanted to do so” and that colleges should take a call on allowing saffron scarves for Hindu students. “The education of students must not suffer due to this issue being raised now.”

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Congress’s B K Hariprasad, told The Indian Express, “It is terrible. It is a government school. They have no business imposing anything. There are no restrictions on the hijab nor are there any restrictions on saffron scarves. The BJP wants to polarize the society in coastal Karnataka. They are converting the entire region into a Hindutva laboratory. That is not fair. We are waiting for our local units to assess the situation and report to us. Then we will take a call.”

Former Union minority affairs minister and senior Congress leader K Rahman Khan said, “All these years, there was no objection (to students wearing the hijab). Now these vigilantes are doing moral policing. India is a land with diverse cultures. Constitutionally, they cannot restrict it.”

On Friday, state Education Minister Nagesh told the media, “We have sent circulars to PU colleges that students should wear uniforms. If not, students will not allowed inside… The matter is in the court and we will wait for the court directions.”

On January 25, the state Education Department had decided to set up a committee to chalk out guidelines on uniforms. It also asked colleges in Udupi to maintain “status quo” till the government formulated a rule.

On Thursday, state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra had said students should wear uniforms prescribed by school and college managements, and refrain from wearing the hijab or saffron scarves.
State Minister for Kannada and Culture V Sunil Kumar alleged that the protesting Muslim girls were converting Udupi and Karnataka into Taliban territory. “We will not allow them to turn this region into Taliban territory…”