Police probe into hijab row was selective and targeted us, says CFI Karnataka chief

I do not know what the high court refers to by “unseen hands”. We were openly supporting the students who were denied entry to the college for wearing hijab. It is a selective probe done by the police. Why don’t they probe how so many students got saffron shawls on February 8 and how it was organised. The entire probe was targeted at CFI.

What do you have to say about the high court verdict?

We got the order but not justice. We are with the petitioner students and we will fight it legally. A special leave petition has been filed before the Supreme Court and we shall see how it goes. I do not know what threatens the government if students wear hijab and attend classes. We previously supported the students who approached the court and will continue to support them.

It is said that the CFI was behind the entire hijab episode.

The CFI did not start it. It was a group of students who approached us to say that they were denied entry to college for wearing hijab. Since then we have been supporting them as an organisation. It was a fair demand when we started but the ruling BJP government gave it a communal spin for their political advantage.

What do you have to say about BJP leader Yashpal Suvarna’s comments for students?

Not surprised, it is nothing but a political comment. Yashpal Suvarna is eyeing a ticket to contest the next Assembly polls and his communal statements will attract the BJP high command. It is unfortunate that despite being the vice-president of the same college’s development committee, he calls those students members of a terror organisation.

Is the CFI also another organisation like the ABVP which is a student wing affiliated to another organisation?

We are an independent organisation and we do not work with any political parties or organisations. Often it is attributed that we are a sister organisation of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) which is false. We have consulted like-minded people in the organisation for suggestions and advice but we don’t have any association with them.

It is said that the CFI backs only Muslim students and their causes. What do you have to say about it?

It is wrong to portray that the CFI fights only for Muslim students’ causes. We have been in Karnataka fighting for all student issues. In 2012, we were the ones who staged a number of protests demanding a fair probe into the rape and murder of a girl in Dakshina Kannada district. There are students from the oppressed classes whom we have supported in the last one decade. As many as 30% of our members in Karnataka are non-Muslims and many Dalit organisations have supported us. There are non-Muslim students from the CFI who are leaders at the college level, but in future you will see them at state and national levels also.

What is the presence of the CFI in Karnataka?

We started the CFI’s Karnataka chapter in 2009. As we speak, we have conducted membership drives across the state and there are about 2 lakh students who are members of the CFI. We have a strong base in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Bengaluru districts. Now, more students from north Karnataka are joining the CFI. Our drive to create awareness about scholarships has helped us achieve good recognition among students.