Hijab row: MLA Raghupathi Bhat gets armed guard following threat calls

Udupi: After BJP MLA K Raghupathi Bhat said that he has been receiving threat calls from unidentified persons after the hijab issue turned into a major controversy, he was provided with an armed guard.

The current level of security given to Bhat is usually accorded to ministers or other political VIPs.

Sources said that based on further analysis, it will be decided whether 24-hour armed protection has to be given to the MLA by deputing a team of armed guards at his residence.

Meanwhile, Bhat said, “If the intelligence reports suggest beefing up security for me, the police will do so. But I am not the one to seek it, as these types of threats do not inflict fear in me.”

Bhat, who is the president of the development committee of the pre-university college for women in Udupi where the hijab issue originated in Karnataka, had told reporters in Udupi that most of the calls received by him were internet calls from foreign countries.

The BJP MLA had said the callers are issuing threats to his life which are not new to him. They have been warning that he will be targeted if he asserts himself more on the hijab issue.

Bhat said he also received several calls from local numbers and has informed about the development to state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra.

He claimed that Muslims in Udupi are with him and the Qazis in the district have extended their support to him on the issue.

Bhat reiterated that the six girl students at the Udupi PU College in Udupi who insist on wearing hijabs in the classroom were misguided by some elements.

To all the threats received through the phone, WhatsApp, and Facebook, he has responded by discussing only the issue of uniform and discipline in the college, the MLA said.