BENGALURU: What started at a government college in Udupi spread to several parts of the state and even the country, making headlines in the international media. Over the last one week, Karnataka witnessed a series of instances where students wore the hijab and saffron shawls to campuses, forcing the government to declare a holiday to bring the situation under control. Pleas on the hijab issue are now before the Karnataka High Court.
Home Minister Araga Jnanendra feels there are certain forces that want to make this a bigger issue at the international level. In an interview, he details how the government has been able to control the situation.
What do you have to say about the hijab controversy?
This is an unfortunate incident. Our children were supposed to focus on studies as exams are approaching. For the last two years, due to Covid, they were not able to focus on studies. They have just got back to schools when this incident happened. What we are trying to say is that the children are the same. Educational institutes should teach them that they are children of India. Schools should be given freedom to inculcate a national culture.
Who do you think is behind this incident? Are they from inside the state or outsiders?
There is conspiracy behind this incident. As Home Minister, I cannot give complete details. People behind this conspiracy are from within the state as well as outside. Fundamentalists forces are playing with people. They keep instilling a certain kind of thinking through organisations as they want to showcase their strength somehow. This time, they have used children and schools.
This incident happened in a small district involving six girls, which has now become bigger. Is this because the government failed to control it initially?
There is a certain force that wants to make this issue bigger at an international level. But we have controlled it and it was a minor incident. Earlier, student protests were huge and more intense. They would go on for days and schools and colleges would be closed. But this one was controlled within a day and there is no question of the government’s failure. There are thousands of colleges in the state, and the incidents that have happened are stray, in hardly four or five colleges. If we had resorted to lathicharge to control the situation, it would have hurt young people both physically and mentally. That is why we dealt with it with a lot of patience.
What is the update on the police investigation in this case?
It is going on and the police will get to the root of the issue. Not just this incident, to prevent any such untoward incidents in future, the police are looking into every aspect. Even in the Mandya case, an inquiry is going on. I cannot reveal more details at this stage.
Why are you insisting on not wearing the hijab to schools and colleges?
There is a concept of wearing uniforms in schools to stress on equality inside classrooms. This was prevalent even during British Raj. Children from all walks come to schools and colleges, and when they are on campus, all are equal. There should not be any comparison and they should feel they are all the same. In order to instill this culture, we insist that every child wear a uniform.