A large number of girls, most of them wearing hijab, took to the streets here on Saturday condemning the authorities of a few educational institutions in the coastal districts of the State for barring hijab-clad students from entering the places of learning.
Led by Kaneez Fatima, MLA for Gulbarga North, the students took out a protest march on the major streets of the city raising slogans in the assertion of their rights to the choice of dress and staged a demonstration outside the district administrative complex. They expressed their condemnation by shouting against the college authorities who denied entry to the hijab-clad students.
“Wearing hijab is our right. The curb on hijab is a violation of our fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. We demand that the Government take action against the authorities who had barred the girls from entering the colleges on the pretext of hijab and ensure that such incidents of right infringement will not be repeated,” an agitating student said.
Ms. Fatima asserted the rights of Muslim women to wear hijab by stating that she had always participated in the business of the Legislative Assembly by wearing the hijab.
“What one should or shouldn’t wear is not anybody else’s business. As a representative of my people, I have participated in all proceedings in the Assembly by wearing the hijab. Do you prevent me from entering the Assembly just because I wear the hijab? It is a height of cruelty to deny education to students on the pretext of their dress,” she said appealing to the Government not to allow “divisive forces” to politicise the issue and divide the communities along religious lines to disturb communal harmony.
A memorandum was later submitted to the Government through the Deputy Commissioner. Congress leaders Latha Ravi Rathod, Allamaprabhu Patil, Mazhar Khan, and Adil were among those present.
