Karnataka hijab row: NIA should probe protests-CFI link, says Udupi MLA
India Today
Karnataka hijab news: BJP MLA from Udupi Raghupathi Bhat said it would be better if the hijab protests are investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as it looked like an international controversy.
BJP MLA from Udupi Raghupathi Bhat has requested the Karnataka government to investigate the link between the hijab protests and the involvement of the Campus Front of India (CFI). Bhat claimed that the Hijab protests were first shown on Pakistani television before being reported in India.
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"How did television channels in Pakistan get this information [about protests]? These girls were attending classes normally till October-November. Since November, when they came in contact with the CFI, they have become active on Twitter. They started tweeting certain views, like building a temple on Babri masjid land is illegal,” he said. “ They tweeted ’We will build masjid there’. They tweeted about Azaan and how it's not a noise issue. We have some input from the locals on how these girls were trained by PFI and how their legal case is being funded," Bhat added.
"I have written to the state government asking them to investigate the case. In my opinion, it would be better if the case is investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as this looks like an international controversy," Bhat added.
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When asked about the controversy over a photo of Muskaan Zainab, a student of Government PU College, Udupi, and one of the petitioners in the high court, in which she can be seen without a hijab at a protest, Bhat said the two issues were different.
In November, Muskaan was photographed without a hijab participating in a protest organised by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Zainab's father had reportedly taken objection to this and approached the college, alleging that the institute had sent them to the protest.
