NEW DELHI – The raging controversy over hijab in Karnataka had its echo in the far off desert land of Rajasthan. Some Muslim families in the Jaipur, the state capital, alleged that a private college in the district is asking their wards to attend classes without their heads covered.
However, the dispute over the hijab was nipped in the bud with the intervention of local police.
Jitendra Singh, a police officer in the area, was quoted by a news report confirming that the college administration told Muslim girls to leave their hijab at home and attend classes in the college uniform. The girls reported the matter to their parents who, in turn, raised the issue with the college.
The police, upon receiving a tip-off about the incident, reached the college to pacify the situation.
At a time when all eyes are on the southern state of Karnataka which is grappling with a major controversy over ban on hijab at campuses, its resonance in the historic Pink City of India doesn’t augur well for the country. However, the police claimed that the issue could be amicably resolved.
Earlier, in Karnataka, A number of colleges clamped the ban on hijab at the instance of some Hindu students. Hindu students, who raised objection to the hijab display inside the colleges, had held out an ultimatum to the college authorities that if Muslim girls were allowed to cover their heads in the college premises, they too should be allowed to parade saffron-coloured shawls inside the college.
Following the ban, Muslim girls in hijab mounted a defiant resistance holding demonstrations outside their respective colleges even as they moved the state high court. The issue drew widespread attention with political leaders and activists coming out in support of the aggrieved girls.
Currently, the matter is sub judice pending hearing.
This story first appeared on clarionindia.net
