Karnataka Hijab row: What women across India think about this

The video of a Muslim girl being hounded at a college in southern Karnataka's Mandya district, which went viral late Tuesday evening, has sparked off a frenzy on social media with many noted personalities expressing their views. 

The video shows the girl student who came to college wearing a hijab being hounded by a mob with saffron scarves. The mob was chanting slogans like 'Jai Shri Ram'. The video showed the girl, fed up with the barbs of the mob, raising slogans herself of 'Allahu Akbar'.

Let's check out some of the reponses to that video.

Priyanka Chaturvedi
RS MP, Shiv Sena leader

"Young students have been reduced to shouting their religious slogans. Whether it is Jai Shri Ram or Allahu Akbar, do stop, pause and think what a student life is reduced to. Don’t celebrate either, there is nothing brave in becoming defenders of religious identities. Saddening."

Also Read: Karnataka Hijab row: Girl hounded by mob with saffron scarves at Mandya college

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Congress leader

"Whether it is a bikini, a ghoonghat, a pair of jeans or a hijab, it is a woman’s right to decide what she wants to wear. This right is guaranteed by the Indian constitution. Stop harassing women."

Also Read: Hijab vs Saffron Scarf: Students wearing saffron shawls pelt stones at govt college in Shivamogga

Nirupama Menon Rao 
Former Foreign Secretary of India

"The young Muslim woman in the video wore a hijab, yes, but to me, as a woman, what is relevant to the current debate is that she came to college driving her own two-wheeler, independently, and with her head held high. There was no sign of regression there"

Also Read: Hijab row: Karnataka schools, colleges to remain closed for 3 days

Taslima Nasreen
Author

"Some people think hijab is a symbol of secularism. No, it is not. It is a symbol of Islamism and misogyny. Secularism means without religion. Embracing all religions equally is not secularism, rather it is superduper-religionism. You want a secular space? Avoid all kinds of religious symbols."

RichaChadha
Actor

"There is no 'controversy'. It is about showing minorities their place in 'New India'. Why shift goal post of the issue? It's about a woman's freedom to choose what she wears. Hijab, torn jeans, saris or bikinis. Or are you suggesting these militant teenagers are progressive?"