The Hijab row in India intensifies as Hindu students continue to protest against Muslim class fellows wearing hijab on campus. On the other hand, young Muslim students refuse to give up and continue fighting for their constitutional rights.
Regarding this, a video of a Muslim girl facing off a Hindu extremist mob surfaced on social media. The young Muslim girl was on her way to college in Karnataka when students representing the Hindu-Right wing began heckling her. They also waved saffron shawls in an antagonizing manner.
At first, the girl ignored the mob, however, the mob continued to chant slogans against her. While the mob looked intimidating, the brave girl countered their slogans by shouting “Allahu Akbar.”
Later, the campus officials intervened and escorted her to her college. The girl received appreciation on social media for showing courage while being faced with the mob.
A lone Muslim girl on the way to her college in Karnataka, India is being heckled and harassed by a Hindu right-wing mob for wearing a hijab! pic.twitter.com/DiVjCbqpdW
— Ashok (@ashoswai) February 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/envy2sheikh92/status/1490994290331631617?s=20&t=qHDhISbHOqaK0vW1I360-w
Important to note, the Indian government is on a crackdown, banning any religious symbolism in educational institutes. According to Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra, religion should be kept away from education. This includes both the hijab and the saffron shawls. Jnanendra said no one should come to school for practicing their religion. This created a communal divide between student communities.
Read more: Watch: Indian college bans entry of female students wearing hijab
Muslim students asserted that they will not shun hijab no matter what. They also moved to the High Court seeking directions to the government to allow them to wear hijab to classrooms. As a result, Hindu students retaliated by wearing saffron shawls to schools and protesting against the hijab.
Protest against Hijab turns violent in Karnataka
Tuesday, incidents of violence were reported by Indian media during the protest against the hijab. According to reports, stone pelting started after an argument broke out between the hijab-wearing students and another group of students who came in saffron shawls. Many students received injuries during the stone-pelting.
The police also rushed to the scene and tried to control the situation. The police caned the students and protesters to quell the mob from the surrounding areas of the Bapujinagar Government Pre-University College in Shivamogga.
The protest also took a serious turn as students wearing hijab raised ‘Allah ho Akbar’ slogans and the Hindu students raised the slogan of ‘Jai Sriram’.
Furthermore, owing to the intensity of the situation, the college management announced a holiday for an indefinite period.
Read more: Modi’s India exposed: Hindu extremism seeps into universities