Nobody can force a girl to wear or not wear headscarf: Brinda Karat

Terming as unfortunate the three-judge Karnataka High Court order upholding Karnataka Government’s prohibition of hijab (headscarf) in the classroom, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Politburo member Brinda Karat on Monday said use of headscarf cannot deprive a girl of her right to education.

Talking at the “Harmony Summit” here at the Town Hall here, Ms. Karat said the Supreme Court, sooner or later, has to redress the judgment of the High Court.

The notification by State Government barring hijab in the classroom in the guise of public order, Ms. Karat said, is an issue manufactured by the BJP Government to divide society on communal lines. “Let Muslim girls and their parents decide on wearing or not wearing of hijab. Nobody has a right to force a girl to do so,” she said and called upon people to come forward to fight for women’s empowerment and girl’s to education.

All over India, Ms. Karat said, girls are given the choice of wearing or not wearing headscarf. In Kendriya Vidyalayas, there is no bar on headscarf in the classroom. In Kerala, which has good literacy rate among Muslim girls, there is no bar on hijab.

Criticing the presence of local MLA in the development of committees of government colleges in Karnataka, Ms. Karat said neither the State Government nor the High Court took action against Udupi MLA K. Raghupathi Bhat for his provocative statements on students demanding hijab.

Ms. Karat did not spare the fundamentalist forces like Popular Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India, which, she said, are trying to mobilise support and force girls to take a position on hijab.

The BJP Government at the Centre, she said, was continuing with the divisive policy propagated by Veer Savarkar and they are trying to bulldoze and flatten the diverse culture of the country.