Shri Ram Sena Chief, Pramod Muthalik's statement that students who insist on wearing a hijab to the classroom showed their terrorist mindset and they should be kicked out of schools, has triggered a controversy in the state.
Muthalik had stated on Tuesday, February 1, that this stubborn mindset of wearing a hijab to the classroom will take students to terrorism. "Now, they start with the hijab, later they will ask for burqa and afterward, they will demand namaz and mosque. Is this your religious centre or school?" Muthalik questioned.
He urged the government not to allow any public debate or discourse on the issue. Students who are insisting on wearing a hijab should be issued transfer certificates and be kicked out. This mindset is dangerous, he maintained.
"You have the freedom to wear clothes of your choice at home. But once students enter the school premises, one has to abide by regulations. "Are you making India, a Pakistan or an Afghanistan? If you demand a burqa or a hijab, you can go to Pakistan," he said.
The statements have stirred a controversy in the state, which is already coping with the hijab row. The students agitating over wearing a hijab to class in Udupi Pre University College have approached the High Court seeking relief. The government has set up a committee to decide on the issue. Until then, the government has asked students not to wear a hijab. However, the students have defied the order and say that wearing a hijab is their constitutional right.
