Hijab-clad sarpanches from Kerala blocked at PM's event

The women were part of a delegation from Kerala
The village heads were asked to remove their hijab
They are planning to file a complaint with the Prime Minister

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with women village heads in Gujarat, three grama panchayat president's from Kerala have come up with a complaint that they were allegedly stopped from attending the event as they were wearing black hijab (veil). The women village heads also said they would make a complaint with the Prime Minister on the issue.

The village heads were a part of a 100-member delegation from Kerala and were invited to attend an event held in Gandhinagar to felicitate women achievers on the occasion of International Women's Day.

Parliament member E T Mohammed Basheer, of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), raised the issue during the Zero Hour in Lok Sabha. He said the village heads, who had gone to Gandhinagar to attend Swachh Shakti 2017 were allowed to attend the function only after removing their hijab.

"Security personnel first stopped them from attending the event. They had an argument with him, and they were allowed to enter the hall only under the condition that they will remove their hijab. However, they were let in on the condition that they would sit in the last row," he said.

Basheer also said that Prime Minister should apologise to the nation.

The allegation was immediately refuted by two ministers. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi denied occurrence of any such incident and said the government does not differentiate anyone on the basis of religion.

Minister of Drinking Water Narendra Tomar said the claim of MP was in no way related to reality and he is trying to misguide people.

Police also clarified that they had conducted a routine check as part of security protocol.

However, Shaharban Saidalavi, Noorbina Rashid and T K Seenath said they were denied entry to the hall where the meeting was being held and was asked to watch the event from outside where there was a facility of live streaming.

"They allowed me to enter the hall only after removing my hijab," Saidalavi said.

Kerala Women's Commission said the act amounts to the violation of Human Rights and demanded action against the concerned security officer.

For a practising Muslim, wearing Hijab is not only a matter of modesty but also an intricate part of the religious observation.

Last Updated Mar 31, 2018, 7:06 PM IST