Malala Yousafzai wades into Karnataka hijab row (Photo: Malala/Twitter) 
Bengaluru: As the hijab row in Karnataka continues, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai took to Twitter on Tuesday, criticising the “horrifying” situation. Citing a news report on the same, the well-known women’s rights activist urged Indian leaders to ensure that Muslim women were not marginalised.
“Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists — for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women,” she wrote.
The post has since provoked a sharp response from BJP MLA and party national general secretary CT Ravi.
The controversy had begun last month after a government PU College in Udupi asked six students who had attended classes wearing head-scarf in violation of the stipulated dress code to leave campus. Since then, the protests have spread to various parts of the state and beyond. At the same time, some Hindu students and groups have responded to the agitation with counter-protests, garbed in saffron shawls and the like. More recently, the protests have taken a violent turn.
On Tuesday, incidents of stone-pelting were reported, and the police used force and tear gas to control the situation. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai today declared a three-day holiday for all educational institutions. The Karnataka High Court meanwhile is looking into pleas by some Muslim girl students on their right to wear a headscarf and will resume hearing on Wednesday. The HC today observed that only “some mischievous people” were keeping the Hijab issue burning.
The situation remains tense in several parts of the state, with the police imposing restrictions in several areas. According to reports, a few students and a teacher had also been injured after a stone pelting incident was reported near a college in Bagalkote’s Rabkavi Banhatti and a few students tried to barge into the campus. Protests by students were also reported at educational institutions in the districts of Vijayapura, Gadag, Dakshina Kannada, Davangere and Chitradurga.
The agitation has also taken a political slant, with many Opposition leaders staging a walk out of Parliament in protest over the situation. “Attempts to forcefully remove hijab are being made. Such things should come to an end,” alleged Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Lok Sabha today.
“Wearing uniform is a routine thing, why are they making it an issue? And when school has issued a guideline, everyone should follow it. What is the fuss about it? Undertakings have also been given by students and their parents to follow the dress code,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, who hails from Karnataka.