The ongoing hijab row has taken an uglier turn. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Karnataka wing has released the personal details which include the addresses of five of the students who have petitioned the high court.
At the time of writing this article, the names of the students along with their residential address is available on BJP Karnataka’s Twitter handle and has also been tweeted by Nalinkumar Kateel, the president of BJP Karnataka.
It is crucial to note that five of the Muslim students who are petitioners in the ongoing court case are minors aged seventeen years old.
The Karnataka BJP Twitter handle put out a tweet stating that the Congress party’s leaders, including the Gandhi family, were “using minor girls” as a way to stay relevant in politics and win the upcoming elections.
Background of the hijab row:
The hijab row started a month ago when female Muslim students were denied entry into a pre-university government college in Karnataka’s Udupi town. The reason offered by the administration was that the students adorned in hijabs were violating the dress code of their institute. The students on their end stated that, the hijab was an integral part of their religion and as such affirmed their right to practice their faith.
The hijab row soon made its way into other parts of northern Karnataka where right-wing students as well as, Muslim women (supported by Ambedkarite and Muslim student activists) protested against and in favour of the hijab respectively. This was followed by a writ-petition filed in the Karnataka high court by the students, asking the court to intervene in the matter.
Last week, the Karnataka High court stated that all educational institutions shall be reopened, and students can attend classes in keeping with the dress code (ie. without their hijabs).
The case is still being heard by the court.
