Manchester United and France footballer Paul Pogba has ostensibly dived into the Karnataka hijab row by sharing a video of saffron-clad students in the state protesting against Muslim women and girls wearing the hijab to their educational institutions.
The video shared by Pogba as a story on Instagram was originally published by a London-based handle called ‘Islam is my deen’. The text in the video says “Hindutva mobs continue to harass muslim girls wearing Hijab to college in India”. The video is a compilation of protests outside a college, inside a classroom and on the roads. Hindu protestors are seen waving saffron flags and donning saffron scarves and other clothing.
The caption of the post reads: "You might be getting tired of hearing it but the world needs to hear and see what is happening in India. For weeks Muslim women wearing Hijab have been prevented from getting their education in Karnataka.
"Meanwhile extremist Hindutva mobs rally inside and outside the college with saffron scarves and flags harassing Muslim girls. This is the real India the media doesn't show you."
Screenshot of the video shared by Paul Pogba
Pogba, a devout Muslim, is the second prominent international figure to raise the issue after Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
Condemning the hijab row, Yousafzai urged Indian leaders to “stop the marginalisation of Muslim women”. Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, she said refusing to let girls go to schools in their hijabs is ‘horrifying’.
In reaction to Pogba’s post, several Hindu supporters of Manchester United have called for the club to take action against the player. #BoycottPogba was also trending with some users asking how much he was getting paid to share the video.
Hijab row
The controversy over hijab began in December when a few students started coming to the government pre-university college in Udupi wearing hijab. To protest this, some Hindu students turned up wearing saffron scarves. The row spread to other educational institutions in different parts of the state, and the protests took a violent turn at some place earlier this week, prompting the government on Tuesday to declare three days holiday for the institutions.
The Karnataka High Court, hearing the hijab issue, on Thursday said educational institutions can resume classes.
The HC, which posted further hearing on the matter to Monday, asked students not to insist on wearing any clothes that has religious significance, on campuses of educational institutions.
The three-judge full bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice J.M. Khazi and Justice Krishna S. Dixit, which was formed on Wednesday, also said it wants the matter to be resolved at the earliest but till that time peace and tranquility is to be maintained.
"Till the disposal of the matter, you people should not insist on wearing all these religious things," CJ Awasthi said.
The petitioners' lawyer Devadatt Kamat had requested the court to consider his objection that such an order will amount to suspension of his client's constitutional rights under Article 25. "That will be a total affront to their rights," Kamat contended.
In response, Chief Justice Awasthi said the arrangement is only for a few days till the matter is resolved and asked him to cooperate.
(With inputs from PTI)
