Thousands gather in Maharashtra's Malegaon for pro-Hijab rally
Highlights
- The Hijab ban order triggered protests in Karnataka and later spread to other states
- Muslim leaders argue that ban violates right to freedom of religion enshrined in Constitution
- Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has called for observing 'Hijab Day' today to protest against the ban
Thousands of people including females gathered in Malegaon of Nashik district in Maharashtra on Thursday for a pro-Hijab rally. The rally was organised by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. The outfit has also called for observing 'Hijab Day' today to protest against the ban.
The protesters demanded that the Karnataka government's Hijab ban order should be withdrawn.
According to reports, the organisers of the protest march had not obtained police permission. The police have booked four organisers for violating prohibitory orders under Section 144. Also, AIMIM MLA Mufti Mohammad Ismail Qasmi, who represents the Malegaon Central seat, has been booked by the police.
The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind had earlier announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for the Karnataka student wearing a burqa, who gained limelight for holding her ground when faced with hundreds of protesting students. Bibi Muskan Khan, the second-year graduate student, had raised the 'Allahu-Akbar' slogan in response to the 'Jai Shree Ram' slogan by a few other students.
Earlier on Thursday, scores of Left-affiliated All India Students’ Association (AISA) staged a protest outside the Karnataka Bhawan in New Delhi in solidarity with Muslim students over the issue of prohibition on the wearing of hijab in Karnataka educational institutes. They were detained by the Delhi Police and taken to the Mandir Marg police station.
The Hijab row started in December end when a few students started coming to a government pre-university college in Udupi wearing Hijab. To protest against it, some Hindu students turned up wearing saffron scarves. The row spread to other educational institutions in different parts of the State, and the protests took a violent turn at some places earlier this week, prompting the government to declare three-day holiday for the institutions.
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