Amid ongoing controversy over hijab or headscarf in Karnataka, BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj said a law should be made to ban hijab across the country.
“The opposition brought the hijab issue in the run-up to the elections. This rule (for uniform) was formed in Karnataka, people did this (row) in reply. But I think, a law should be made to ban hijab across the country,” he said after casting vote in the fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh polls.
Karnataka has been witnessing widespread protests over the hijab row that erupted after six hijab-clad girl students were not allowed to enter a government pre-university college in Udupi.
The incident led to protests in various parts of the state and also turned violent in some places. The matter flared up after some students turned up in colleges wearing saffron scare.
Following the outrage, the state government issued an order making uniforms prescribed by it or management of private institutions mandatory for its students in schools and pre-university colleges.
Earlier, the government had alleged that the Campus Front of India (CFI), the student wing of PFI, had incited the hijab row. It also said that the role of CFI would be investigated.
The Karnataka High Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice JM Khazi and Justice Krishna M Dixit is hearing a batch of petitions seeking permission to wear hijab inside the classroom.
The state government on Tuesday told the High Court that there is no restriction on wearing hijab in India with reasonable restrictions subject to institutional discipline.
The Muslim girls from Udupi district have moved the HC challenging the restriction on hijab inside the educational institutions.
“The right to wear Hijab falls under Article 19(1)(A) and not Article 25. If one wishes to wear Hijab, then there is no restriction ‘subject to the institutional discipline’. The rights claimed under Article 19(1)(A) is related to Article 19(2) where the government places a reasonable restriction subjected to institutional restriction,” Karnataka Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi told the High Court, PTI reported.
