The hijab row in Karnataka is taking an ugly turn day by day. It is dividing the campus on a religious basis, which is very dangerous for the future of the state. Celebration of diversity and plurality defines the soul of India. Any attempt to alter this fundamental identity will damage the country’s social fabric. If backed by a political agenda, such attempts can lead to disastrous consequences. Invoking xenophobic narratives to rake up the communal divide has been a familiar electoral strategy of the BJP for years. It is this devious design that is at play in the ongoing hijab controversy in the BJP-ruled Karnataka. This appears to be an entirely cooked-up row; a deliberate attempt to stoke communal flames. There is no ambiguity in the constitutional provisions providing religious freedom for all. The decision of a college in Karnataka’s Udipi to ban entry for Muslim girls wearing hijab – headscarf – raises the question of whether educational institutions can impose a dress code that could interfere with the rights of students.
The controversy has turned into a full-blown communal issue, thanks to the politically-motivated protests by the saffron scarf donning students. It was a disgusting spectacle to see the girls being heckled and mocked by the protestors; images that will cause irreparable damage to the country’s secular credentials. The clashes, which spilled to other colleges across Karnataka, now threaten to spread to other states. Denying educational opportunities to girls on the basis of what they wear is to make a mockery of the NDA government’s oft-repeated slogan ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ abhiyan. India’s social life has been accommodative of all religious beliefs and practices. Unfortunately, a divisive political culture centred around religion that has grown in recent years in the country has made this non-issue a big controversy.