"Will keep fighting for our rights; education and wearing the hijab"

In a video that went viral on Twitter on Tuesday, a burqa-clad student was seen confronting students wearing saffron scarves and shouting “Jai Shri Ram” as they heckled her. She was seen fighting back, as she shouted, “Allah hu Akbar”.

The video was from Mandya pre-University college, and the woman, Muskan. In an interview with NDTV, she told the news organisation that she intended to keep fighting for her right “to wear the hijab”.

Muskan went on to say, “I was not worried. When I entered the college they were not allowing me just because I was wearing the burqa. They started shouting Jai Shri Ram. So I started screaming Allah hu Akbar. The principal and lecturers supported me and protected me. Our priority is our education. They are ruining our education.”

Muskan, a second year Commerce student, said that her Hindu friends are all supporting her right to wear the hijab and most of the people heckling her were outsiders, while a handful of them were her college-mates. NDTV quoted her as saying, “This only started last week. We used to wear the burqa and hijab all the time. I wore the hijab in class and used to remove the burqa. The hijab is a part of us. The principal never said anything. Outsiders have started this. The principal has advised us not to carry the burqa. We will continue to protest for the hijab. It is just a part of being a Muslim girl.” But despite the disruptions by saffron-scarves wearing people, Muskan said the support being extended towards her made her feel safe.

The whole controversy regarding whether students can wear hijabs inside the classroom started when a government college in Udupi, Karnataka, last month, barred six hijab-wearing women from attending classes. Ever since, the issue has boiled over in many other cities of Karnataka with Hindu students protesting against hijab-wearing students by wearing saffron scarves themselves. After the protests grew violent on Tuesday, the government shut down all educational institutions for three days.