BENGALURU/MANGALURU: Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Thursday said students should neither wear hijab (headscarf) nor saffron shawls to schools and colleges, and stressed that they should wear only the prescribed uniform. His remarks come amid a row over some students of a government PU college in Udupi wearing the hijab in classrooms. In another incident, girl students of a government PU college in Kundapur, who reached the institution wearing the hijab on Thursday, were stopped at the gate.
Addressing the media here, Jnanendra said educational institutions should overcome the barriers of religion and caste and promote the feeling that all are one. Religious practices should be followed in places of worship like temples, churches and mosques. In educational institutions, students should have the feeling of oneness and there should be an academic atmosphere for students to develop a culture of national unity and integrity, he stressed.
“No one should come to school for practicing their religion,” he said, while responding to a question on students wearing saffron shawls as a counter to a few students wearing the hijab. He said he has directed the police to keep an eye on fundamental organisations and to take stern action against those who disturb unity.
The issue has caught national attention with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor slamming the authorities. Mehbooba, who also sports a hijab, said, “Beti bachao-beti padhao is yet another hollow slogan. Muslims are being denied the right to education simply because of their attire. Legitimising the marginalisation of Muslims is one more step towards converting Gandhi’s India into Godse’s India.”
Tharoor tweeted, “It’s been a strength of India that everyone is free to wear what they want. If the hijab is disallowed, what about the Sikh turban? The Hindu’s forehead mark? The Christian’s crucifix? This college is going down a slippery slope. Let the girls in. Let them study. Let them decide.”
Davanagere: Members of the Hindu Jagaran Vedike (HJV) on Thursday staged a protest in front of the DC’s office in Davanagere, urging the government to give directions on wearing of uniforms across all schools and colleges in the state. In a memorandum to the government submitted through DC Mahantesh Bilagi, the activists said the adamant attitude of some Muslim girls over wearing of hijab and attending classes cannot be tolerated, as it is a fundamentalist mindset. Educational institutions are centres where religion, caste and other factors are not given preference, and proper dress code and uniform will bring equality among students.
“A section of society is stating that wearing of hijab is a right provided by the Constitution, this is wrong. The same Constitution states that all residents of India are equal, hence there shouldn’t be dress difference between Hindus and Muslims,” they said.
