‘Karnataka hijab issue should not be used by parties to disrupt peace in Maharashtra’

Speaking to reporters on the controversy in Karnataka, Patil said, “Students go to school and college to get an education. Everybody should follow the rules of the school and colleges. My request to everyone is that if there is some issue in another state, they should not create trouble in Maharashtra for political gains.”

He added, “I request to everyone to maintain peace in the state. It would be incorrect to use an incident in another state for political gains in Maharashtra where there is no such issue.” He added that the focus should be on education in schools and colleges and these issues should not be politicised.

When asked if Maharashtra police has been told to keep an eye out for any possible law and order problems, the state Home Minister said, “Maharashtra police is working on the issue and we are trying to ensure that there are no problems anywhere across the state.”

A senior officer from Maharashtra police said that there were a few gatherings at Malegaon, Beed, Aurangabad and Pune. “However, there were no untoward incidents that were reported at these spots. Only some protestors had gathered at these places and there was police presence to ensure there were no law and order problems. Since the incident does not pertain to Maharashtra, it should not be much of a problem here,” the IPS officer said.

“The protests over the hijab issue are unfortunate. In every country and state, it is the responsibility of the rulers, responsible organisations and parties to see to it that there is no divide between communities,” Pawar said.