Subramanian Swamy breaks silence on 'First Hijab, then studies' logic; fires a question

With the Hijab controversy yet to reach a logical & legal solution, Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy expressed his opinion on the issue on Wednesday. Taking to microblogging site Twitter, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader highlighted the protesting students' grievance that the government was asking them to choose between 'hijab and education' and wondered why their 'grandfathers chose to stay in India instead of going to Pakistan' at the time of Independence.

"I am wondering why their grandfathers chose to stay in India rather than go to Pakistan, where they could get effortlessly 'hijab first', he wrote on Twitter. The controversy erupted when Udupi's Kundapur PU College's principal Rudra Gowda, in December 2021, issued a circular, preventing students from wearing hijabs in classrooms, claiming it was to ensure uniformity.

In an exclusive conversation with Republic, the College Development Committee had claimed that from 2004 to 2021, everybody followed the college uniform rules. The Vice President of the Committee said that till December 30, 2021, all students entered the classrooms in kurta, top, and dupatta, and there was no hijab. 

"On December 31, suddenly 6 students wearing hijab entered the class and so the principal and other staff stopped them saying that they were violating the college uniform rules. They did not listen, so we did not allow entry," further said the Vice President of the Committee. 

Hijab row & Karnataka HC's hearing 

Several petitions were filed before the Karnataka High Court till January 2022. On February 10, Karnataka HC had in its detailed interim order, restrained all the students from wearing saffron shawls, scarfs, hijab, religious flags regardless of their religion or faith inside the classrooms until its next hearing on the matter. After witnessing a brief closure due to protests, schools in Karnataka have reopened on February 14, and degree and diploma colleges reopened on February 16. 

Meanwhile, the hearing in the High Court continues. The next hearing is on February 17.