Country robbing future of daughters: Rahul Gandhi comes in support of hijab-wearing students

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the country is robbing the future of daughters by letting the hijab come in the way of girl education.

Coming out in support of hijab-wearing Muslim girl students not allowed entry in educational institutes in Karnataka, he said the goddess Saraswati does not differentiate and gives knowledge to all.

Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said: "By letting students’ hijab come in the way of their education, we are robbing the future of the daughters of India. Ma Saraswati gives knowledge to all. She doesn’t differentiate. #SaraswatiPuja."

Meanwhile, in the wake of the 'hijab' (headscarf) row, the Karnataka government has asked educational institutions to follow existing uniform related rules, until the High Court comes out with an order in this regard, next week.

With the issue snowballing into a major controversy spreading to other educational institutions, and the matter coming up before the High Court, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday held a meeting with Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh and top government officials, regarding the government's stand.

The issue started in early January at the government girls' pre-university (PU) college at Udupi, where six students attended classes wearing headscarves in violation of the dress code in classrooms.

The college had allowed hijab in the campus but not inside the classrooms. The students who protested against the directions were not allowed inside classes. The girls continued their protest by sitting outside the classrooms for about a month.

Udupi MLA and president of the college development committee K Raghupati Bhat held talks with the parents of the protesting girls, who also insisted that their children be allowed to wear hijabs.

The school authorities later categorically announced that hijab-clad girls cannot be allowed inside the classrooms till an expert committee formed by the state government to study the issue comes out with its report. The government also gave directions to schools to maintain the status quo on dress code in PU colleges.

One of the six protesting students at the Udupi college has moved the Karnataka High Court on January 31, seeking interim relief to attend classes wearing the hijab till the issue is settled.

In her petition, the student submitted that wearing a hijab is her fundamental right guaranteed under Article 14 and 25 of the Constitution. The high court is expected to hear the case on February 8.

The incident was followed by another one at the pre-university college in Kundapur in the same district, with the authorities disallowing 28 Muslim girl students from attending classes in the college wearing hijabs, citing the government direction. The girls later protested against the order outside the classes as well.

The issue turned worse when around 100 boy students of the college wearing saffron shawls on Wednesday protested against allowing girls wearing hijabs inside classrooms.

Kundapur MLA and college development committee president Halady Srinivas Shetty, who rushed to the college, called a meeting of the girls and their parents to discuss the issue. As the parents did not relent, the meeting failed to reach a consensus.

(With inputs from Agencies)