Bengaluru: Talking about the Hijab row in an interview with ETV Bharat, Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh said that "whatever happened yesterday (the violence) was unfortunate and the innocent Muslim girls are acting this way because they were misguided and provoked by some people".
He also appealed to the protesting hijab-wearing girls not to destroy the atmosphere.
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"We have tried to ensure education to continue despite the third wave of COVID-19", said the Minister. Narrating how the whole row started, Karnataka State Primary and High School Education Minister alleged "12 girls came to college one-day wearing Hijab in Udupi. Teachers and administration said that they will not allow anything except uniforms. With this, they could convince six girls not to wear hijab. They were in the process of convincing the other six when the whole issue was blown out of proportion."
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The girls are very innocent, nice girls who participated in all extra-curricular activities, he said. "But some people misguided them that Quran says all Muslim girls should wear hijab. An educational institute is no place to practice one's dharma. It is where you gain knowledge and raises together as a nation," said Nagesh.
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"The uniform rule in the Udupi college has been in place since 1985, much before any of the recent acts on education. So I appeal to the girls not to destroy the atmosphere and promote unity as a nation", the Education Minister concluded.
