Karnataka, a relatively insipid state has been in news for quite some time now. Recently, the state witnessed Muslim girls wearing hijab instead of their school uniform. Now, as a response to it, Hindu students have started to flaunt their Bhagwa gamchha.
Bhagwa gamchha vs Hijab
In the Kundapur district of Karnataka, students adopted a unique method of protest. To showcase their disagreement with Muslim girls imposing their clothes instead of the official one, they started to wear Bhagwa gamchha. The incident happened in Bandur town of the district.
Read more: Hijab, Faith and Exams
Not a new phenomenon
Apparently, Kundapur is not the only district where students are divided into two groups. Though things have been building up for quite some time, the controversy caught momentum in January 2022.
In early January, a degree college in Koppa, a panchayat town in Chikkamagaluru district faced a similar situation. According to reports, Muslim girls were not allowed to wear hijab in college. However, some students noted that a lot of girls were wearing hijab, despite prohibition. To express their disagreement, these students started wearing Bhagwa gamchhas.
Similarly, a government college in Udupi is facing a similar controversy. Muslim girls are not willing to let go of their hijab. In the third week of January, they started to protest for their right to wear hijab. Later, the Karnataka education minister termed wearing the hijab an act of indiscipline. However, the mother of one of the students has approached the court sighting religious freedom in the Indian constitution.
Congress supports hijab students
Meanwhile, as expected, Congress has come out in support of hijab-wearing students. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has claimed that girls are being objected to just because they are Muslims. He said that education is a fundamental right and if these students are stopped from attending institutions, then it’s a violation of their fundamental rights.
Read more: A secular headmistress in Karnataka allowed Namaz in school, got suspended
The silent protest by the Bhagwa group has borne at least one positive result for students. In the Shivamogga district of the state, female Muslim students of Government Degree College, Bhadravati attended the class without wearing hijab. The controversy broke out after girls were asked to leave their hijabs in a waiting room. However, the principal sat down with the girls’ parents and resolved the issue.
Twisted secularism against Hindus
Wearing Bhagwa Gamchha is the fundamental right of every Hindu, and so does wearing Hijab for Muslims. However, when you are attending an educational institution, you have to cater to their dress codes. The moment you pay your fee, you consent to follow their code of ethics. An educational institution is a neutral organisation. Carrying your religious allegiance to the educational level defeats the purpose of education.
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Though it was not specifically needed for Indian masses at the time of its introduction in the Constitution, the word secularism theoretically means equal rights for followers of every religion. However, In India, it has been used to give preferential treatment to one religion, especially Muslims of India. The students wearing Bhagwa Gamchha were just following the idea of equal treatment for everyone.