Karnataka hijab row: Govt picking on hijab alone; 'if bindis, ghoonghat, turbans are permitted, why not hijab?' argues petitioner in HC

Bengaluru: Defying a High Court interim order asking school students in Karnataka to refrain from wearing any religious symbols like the ‘hijab’ or scarves to their institutions, students in large numbers on Wednesday turned up wearing ‘hijab’ to schools. They were turned back by the school authorities in an indication that the row is only flaring up.

A final order from the High Court is yet to come as the petitioners were not able to complete their submissions and the full bench headed by the Chief Justice adjourned the case to Thursday.

On Wednesday, senior advocate Ravi Kumar Varma widened the scope of the case by pointing out to the bench that ‘hijab’ was being singled out when there were "hundreds of religious symbols from dupattas, bangles, turbans, crosses and bindis" worn by people every day.

"I am only showing the vast diversity of religious symbols in all sections of the society. Why is the government picking on ‘hijab’ alone and making this hostile discrimination? Bangles are worn? Are they not religious symbols? Why are you picking on these poor Muslim girls?" he said.

"It is only because of her religion that the petitioner is being sent out of the classroom. A ‘bindi’ wearing girl is not sent out. A bangle wearing girl is not. A Christian wearing a cross is not touched. Why only these girls? This is a violation of Article 15 of the constitution," Kumar said.

"Ghoongats are permitted. Bangles are permitted. Why only this (hijabs)? Why not the turban of a Sikh, the cross of the Christians?" he said.

"No other religious symbol is considered... Why only ‘hijab’? Is it not because of their religion? Discrimination against Muslim girls is purely on the basis of religion and hence a hostile discrimination," Kumar argued.

For the first time, the ‘hijab’ row affected the working of Government Composite Urdu High School in Udupi district. Students wearing hijabs were separated from their classmates, media reports from the region said. Also, for the first time, girls, all from classes 8, 9, and 10, were asked to remove their hijab in a minority Urdu school.

There were widespread protests by Muslim girl students and some parents in about 50 government high schools in different parts of the state. They wanted to be allowed to attend classes wearing ‘hijabs’.

Even parents were seen joining students in drumming up protests which, in turn, reinforces the government suspicion that vested interests were fanning the row.

The meteoric rise of the minority-dominated Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), backed by the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Campus Front of India (CFI), is beginning to give the Karnataka government a political headache.

Without naming any organisation, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said he had directed authorities to initiate legal action against any religious outfit attempting to create social fissures and corrupt the students. “Some religious organisations are using students to try to divide society. Instructions have been given to identify them and initiate appropriate legal action against them,” he added.

He also claimed that not all, but a few students, were insisting that they be allowed to go to the school wearing the ‘hijab’. “In my view, it is not their (students’) natural view (insisting on wearing the hijab),” he said.

A senior home department official was quoted in the media as saying that the SDPI, the PFI and the Campus Front of India together have over one lakh members and sympathisers, state-wide presence and hard-line core cadres. This matter has already been circulated in the PMO, the National Security Council Secretariat and the home ministry, based on a report from the NIA.

Published on: Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 10:58 PM IST