Muskan Khan, a hijabi Muslim girl, was heckled by a far-right mob at Mandya college in Karnataka State on February 8th, 2022. She was surrounded by many protestors when she arrived at her college, some of whom were from the same college. These men were wearing saffron scarves and were not letting her enter the college to submit her assignment because she was wearing a burqa. The video was posted on Twitter and soon got viral on social media.
The ban on headscarves has outraged Muslim students and the protests have intensified ever since the Muskan Khan incident. The men chanted “Jai Shri Ram” while Muskan kept screaming “Allah o Akbar” which can be seen in the viral video. A Hindu far-right group has been trying to stop hijab-wearing Muslims from entering educational institutions in Karnataka for a month now.
Around 12% of the total population of Karnataka consists of Muslims. Every student was compelled to follow a particular dress code that was set by the management according to the government’s order on February 5th. Covering the head was not allowed which led to several protests around the State by Muslim students.
The Karnataka government’s order is taking away the right to practice religion freely and the right to freedom of expression of the students. This has made the Muslims’ case strong and justified and has led to an escalation in the Hindu-Muslim confrontations. In the coastal city of Udupi, several schools denied entry to hijab wearing students. The order from the education ministry made the students and their parents protest.
Tensions have frayed recently and Hindu far-right groups have even barged into classrooms to show their support to the hijab-ban order. When the country’s constitution guarantees the fundamental right to choose hijab, the sudden ban by a State’s government is unacceptable. The ban simply has to go in order to restore peace in India.
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