Maha: NCP holds demonstration supporting ‘hijab’

The Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) city unit held a demonstration in Pune on Thursday in support of ‘hijab’ for female Muslim students, amid a controversy over the issue in neighbouring Karnataka.

A number of girls and women held placards with the message ‘hijab is our right, hijab is our pride’, as part of the demonstration in Phule Wada area here in Maharashtra.

Protests for and against the ‘hijab’ had intensified in parts of Karnataka and turned violent in some places on Tuesday after the state government last week issued an order making uniforms prescribed by it or management of private institutions mandatory for its students in schools and pre-university colleges.

NCP’s Pune unit president Prashant Jagtap said a Muslim girl at Udupi in Karnataka was hounded by several right wing youths some days back. ”The heads of Indians have hung in shame due to the incident,” he said. Jagtap said the BJP should not bring politics in school and colleges. A local woman NCP functionary said everyone has the right to wear what they want. ”By using this issue, an attempt is being made to create a dispute between Hindus and Muslims, which is completely wrong,” she said.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Home Minister and senior NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil appealed to political parties against staging protests or disturbing peace for political gains over the ‘hijab’ row in Karnataka.

The minister said it was “not appropriate” to stage protests in Maharashtra over any issue that has roots in some other state.