Students Protest in Mandya: Karnataka’s hijab versus saffron scarf row took a chilling turn in Mandya when a student wearing a burqa was heckled by a group of slogan-shouting, saffron scarf-wearing students.
Mandya pre-university college has released video of a confrontation between a Muslim student and a saffron-wearing group.
She parks her scooter and walks to the college building when students wearing saffron scarves shout “Jai Shri Ram” and advance towards her.
“Allah hu Akbar!” shouts the Muslim student back.
While walking to her classes, she keeps shouting it, followed by the boys.
The college officials were seen holding the boys back and escorting the student.
Students wearing saffron shawls and Hijab have staged a protest outside a college in Karnataka ahead of the high court hearing. The students chanted Jai Shri Ram slogans. A student said, “They have been banned from wearing hijab but some of them came to the classroom wearing hijab. If they are wearing hijab, we will also wear saffron shawls.” Another student in a hijab said, “We have been wearing this since childhood, how can they ask us to remove it now?”
Six Muslim students at a government pre-university college in Karnataka’s Udupi were banned from wearing a hijab on January 1. A new uniform policy was cited by the college management as the reason for the ban. Students in Udupi have protested against a ban on hijab in other government colleges.
CM Basavaraj S Bommai appealed for peace after the row over the wearing of hijab in classrooms in Karnataka escalated. He said, “All the concerned people (in the Udupi hijab row) should keep the peace and let children study. The matter will be presented in the High Court today, let’s wait for it.”
Despite a protest outside a college campus between students wearing hijab and saffron shawls, the Karnataka High Court has begun hearing its case on the hijab row. The petitioner says that a new petition has been filed and has requested an adjournment. The Attorney General said that a statement of objections had been filed. The petitioner said there was urgency in the case the previous day, according to Justice Krishna Dixit. Whatever decision is made in one matter will apply to all petitioners. According to Senior Advocate Devdutt Kamath, petitions filed by another batch of students are not listed for hearing today. Their papers should be called for and heard with the others. Justice Dixit has now requested the papers of the other case as well. Item 61 on the causelist will be heard.
MGM college in Udupi, which saw two groups of students protesting over the wearing of hijab in classrooms, has declared a holiday until further notice.
The Karnataka High Court said that it will follow the Constitution, not emotions, when hearing the case of the hijab ban in some junior colleges. The HC said, “Keep emotions away. Let’s go by facts and what the Constitution says. AG also should keep emotions aside.” Justice Krishna Dixit said, “We will go by reason, by law, not by passion or emotions. We will go by what the Constitution says. The Constitution is the Bhagavad Gita for me. I have taken the oath to abide by the Constitution. Let’s keep the emotions aside. We can’t see this happening every day.”
Advocate Kamath read verses 24.31 and 24.33 from the Holy Quran. According to him, wearing a head scarf or veil over your head is an essential religious practice. According to him, these two injunctions in the Holy Quran have been interpreted in several court decisions from India to abroad.
