Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 8: As the Hijab row refused to die down and rather escalated on Tuesday with hijab versus saffron scarves protests, all high schools and colleges in Karnataka were closed down for three days after groups of protesters threw stones at each other and students at a college put up a saffron flag.
The hijab versus saffron scarves on campus row has taken hold of many colleges in Karnataka. On Tuesday, the incidents took on a communal colour with the confrontations turning more aggressive. The day began with a massive crowd of students protesting at a college in Udupi – one group in the hijab and another wearing saffron scarves.
The protests, seen in and around Udupi till now, on Tuesday spread to more towns including Shivamogga, where a group of boys wearing saffron scarves cheered, chanted “Jai Shri Ram” and danced as one of them climbed a flag staff and put up a saffron flag. In two towns, Harihara and Davengere, large gatherings were banned after hijab-wearing protesters and those wearing saffron shawls threw stones at each other. The police used teargas and batons to break them up.
Shivamogga district administration has clamped prohibitory orders in Shivamogga city on February 8 and 9 following incidents of stone-pelting during protests over the hijab controversy in college campuses.
There were incidents of stone-pelting in the government pre-university college campus in Shivamogga during protests. Hundreds of students wearing saffron shawls gathered on the campus chanting Jai Sri Ram. One among the protesters climbed up a flag post and hoisted a saffron flag. A couple of students suffered minor injuries following stone-pelting. It is not clear who threw stones at students. The police used canes to disperse the students. Superintendent of Police B.M. Laxmi Prasad and Deputy Commissioner R. Selvamani visited the campus.
Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai tweeted he has ordered all high schools and colleges to remain shut “to maintain peace and harmony.” The Karnataka High Court is hearing petitions filed by five women from a government college in Udupi, questioning hijab restrictions. The hearing was incomplete on Tuesday and will be resumed on Wednesday.
Karnataka’s BJP government has been largely silent as it waits for a decision by the Karnataka High Court. The High Court did not announce any order today but said: “Pending further hearing of the matter, this Court requests the student community and the public at large to maintain peace and tranquillity. This court has full faith in the wisdom and virtue of public at large and it hopes that the same would be put to practice,” Justice Dixit Krishna Shripad said.
The hijab protests began last month at the Government Girls PU College in Udupi when six students alleged that they had been barred from classes for insisting on wearing the headscarf. Right-wing groups in Udupi and Chikkamagaluru objected to Muslim girls wearing the hijab to class.
On Friday and Saturday last, a group of students marched to their college wearing saffron scarves. The protests escalated on Tuesday after groups of protesters threw stones at each other and students at a college put up a saffron flag. At a college in Mandya, a Muslim girl stood her ground as a large number of saffron scarf wearing boys heckled her and shouted slogans of “Jai Shri Ram”. She shouted back at them: “Allah hu Akbar!”
The protests spread to more colleges in Udupi and beyond, with staff banning the hijab and many students taking a confrontational position by showing up in saffron scarves and shouting slogans. On Saturday, the state government banned clothes which it said “disturb equality, integrity and public order”. “In the event of the administrative committee not selecting a uniform, clothes which disturb equality, integrity and public law and order should not be worn,” the order said.
College rules allow students to wear the hijab in class but not during lessons, according to officials. The Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, however, has said children should “neither wear the hijab nor saffron scarves” in school.
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar said Tuesday the situation in some educational institutions in the state has ‘gone out of hand’ while the former chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah has demanded that the BJP government declare holidays for all schools and colleges and resume the conduction of online classes as the Hijab v/s saffron shawls row is creating disruption.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, he said: ‘Police have become mute spectators without taking action against those causing trouble. Parents are anxious about this. I urge Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai to immediately announce holiday to all the schools and colleges, where the tussle about Hijab & Kesari is going on, and conduct online classes.”
The former chief minister further said: ‘The issue around Hijab and Kesari is highly concerning & leading to tussle among students. Schools & Colleges are turning into a battlefield. This is absolutely necessary in the interest of the safety of students. The Hijab-Kesari issue could have been resolved harmoniously at the local level. The Karnataka BJP which politicized the issue, is now clueless on how to control the situation. Students are suffering because of BJP’s ulterior political motives.
Karnataka’s first school that was exclusively for girl students was demolished by Mysuru District Administration Monday night. A memorial for Swami Vivekananda will be constructed at the spot. The school was built in the 1880s by the Mysuru royal family to promote education among women. The school, which was functional, has been merged with another educational institution.
