With the government declaring a three-day holiday for high schools and colleges in Karnataka to ease the tense situation over the hijab controversy, the coastal belt remained calm on February 9.The tense situation on February 8 had forced three colleges in the belt, two in Udupi and one in Dakshina Kannada, to declare a holiday even before the government’s holiday announcement.
However, demands from organisations for and against wearing hijab and saffron shawls continued in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi on February 9.
Addressing mediapersons in Mangaluru, the Kalaburagi-based Karnataka Muslim Political Forum and Yadgir-based Rashtriya Satyavadi Manava Hakku Sanghatane said that they will meet the Director General and Inspector General of Police Praveen Sood in Bengaluru on February 10 to file a complaint against three BJP leaders holding constitutional positions for ‘making provocative statements’ over the hijab issue.
The State general secretary of the forum Siraj Jafferi said that complaint will be filed against BJP MLA from Vijayapura Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Member of Parliament from Dakshina Kannada Nalin Kumar Kateel and Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K. S. Eshwarappa. The two organisations will ask the police to book them under Section 155 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), he said.
Mr. Jafferi accused the leaders of making statements that if students want to wear hijab, they should go to Pakistan and wearing hijab is like Talibanisation of education.
He said that it is not proper to compare wearing hijab with wearing saffron shawls. Wearing hijab is a religious right of Muslim women. Asking Muslim women not to wear hijab is an attempt to curtail their educational rights.
Mr. Jafferi said that the admission guidelines for 2021-22 issued by the Department of Pre University Education has clearly mentioned that wearing uniform is not mandatory for pre university students. It said that some principals of colleges and college management committees have made wearing uniform mandatory, which is against the rules.
At the same time, Mr. Jafferi said that an order issued by the government (pre university education) on February 5, 2022 said that students in government schools should wear the uniform prescribed by the government, and in private schools, students should sport the uniform prescribed by the school managing committee. The same order said that the uniform prescribed by the college development committees or the supervisory committees of the college administrative boards should be worn in pre university colleges. In case a uniform is not prescribed, students should wear dresses that facilitate maintaining equality and integrity without disturbing public order.
“The contents in the latest order and the guidelines issued earlier are contradictory,” he said adding that the two organisations will fight against the opposition to wear hijab legally.
Karnataka general secretary of Akhil Bharata Hindu Mahasabha Dharmendra (centre) addressing mediapersons on the hijab controversy, in Mangaluru on February 9, 2022.
Addressing a separate media conference in Mangaluru, the Akhila Bharata Hindu Mahasabha accused the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the Popular Front of India (PFI) of being behind the hijab issue. Its State general secretary Dharmendra said that wearing of hijab in colleges should be banned as he said it is being misused.
Speaking to mediapersons in Udupi, the State president of the Campus Front of India Athaullah Punjalkatte accused the ABVP and the Sangh Parivar of being behind the violent incidents reported in Karnataka over the dress code. It accused Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of being silent over the violent incidents, including hoisting the saffron flag in a college in Shivamogga.
Campus Front of India Karnataka president Athaullah Punjalkatte (centre) addressing mediapersons on the hijab controversy, in Udupi on February 9, 2022.
He said the CFI will be in the forefront in the legal battle for the constitutional right to wear hijab by Muslim women.
Mr. Punjalkatte said that the CFI condemned the statement of Primary and Secondary Education Minister B. C. Nagesh blaming the CFI for violent incidents in Karnataka. He accused the ABVP and the Sangh Parivar of being at the forefront in creating violence.
