Rajasthan: Congress MLA Alleges College Asking Students Not To Wear Hijab

After the Supreme Court rejected the plea for an urgent hearing of the Hijab controversy in Karnataka, the issue has now spilled over to another state in India. Recently, a Member of the Legislative Assembly affiliated to the Congress Party from Rajasthan alleged that a private college in the state stopped girl students from entering college. Reason? They were wearing a hijab, he claimed.

Congress MLA Wajib Ali took to Twitter and alleged that the students were not allowed to enter the premises of a college in Jaipur because they were wearing headscarves. In his tweet, he urged the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot to take cognisance of the matter in hand and order a probe. In Rajasthan, the state government is of the Congress party.

MLA Ali wrote, "Today, in Kasturi Devi College in Jaipur's @ashokgehlot51 town, news has been received that Muslim girl students are not allowed to wear hijab, now the terrorists of hatred want to poison Rajasthan also. Taking cognizance of such colleges, strict action should be taken." He shared two pictures of the incident. In the first one, a girl student in hijab is shown talking to a man and in the second one, they are shown not to be allowed to enter.

Suggested Reading: Karnataka Hijab Row: No Girl Should Have To Be “Brave” Just So That She Can Study

Reportedly, some girl students of the Kasturi Devi College got angry after the administration inquired about their uniforms. The students then called their families and asked them to come over. It has also been reported that police was called in to pacify the parents. The Sub-Inspector of the Chaksu Police Station Jitendra Singh told PTI, "They were convinced to wear the uniform in the college. The matter was resolved through talks."

The entire controversy on wearing hijab in college first cropped up at the Government PU Girls' College in Udupi district of Karnataka. The girl students were denied entry by the authorities alleging that according to the new regulations by the state education ministry, no religious clothing will be allowed and all students must wear the proper uniform. The students insisting on wearing hijab were asked to attend online classes. When they refused, a protest was taken up by other students who started coming to college in saffron shawls.

Hijab Row in Rajasthan: Know More

A student, who was denied the right to wear hijab, then approached the Karnataka High Court with a plea where a three-judge bench gave an interim order asking the students to follow the rule by the education ministry until a judgement is made in the case. The girl student then approached the Supreme Court seeking justice but the Chief Justice of India CV Ramana said, "Please do not spread it to larger levels. We know what is happening. Think over, is it proper to bring these things to Delhi? The national level? If there is anything wrong, we will protect..."

However, Muslim women in different cities like Kolkata, Pune, Delhi, Chandigarh amongst others have taken to the street and are protesting this ban over wearing hijab to colleges in Karnataka.

Moreover, similar cases of students not being allowed have been reported from other places in India like Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, other districts in Karnataka, amongst other places. The issues have become national as the political leaders, actors and activists react to this restriction and obstruction in the education of Muslim girls. The Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate tweeted, "Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists--for wearing less or more."