Hijab row: AMU students take out protest march
AGRA: Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students on Friday took out a protest march on the varsity campus in solidarity with the Muslim girls who were allegedly denied entry into their college in Karnataka for wearing hijab (head scarf).
The protest march, by about 500 boys and girls, was held despite the AMU administration denying the students permission for it. Initially about 100 students gathered at Duck Point on the university campus and were later joined by others, with the number of protestors soaring to about 500 students.
These students raised slogans and expressed solidarity with the Karnataka college students.
“Wearing ‘hijab’ is our constitutional right and thus no one can come in the way. Denying entry to Muslim girls wearing ‘hijab’ to their college premises is totally uncalled for and in violation of constitutional rights that citizens of India have as students,” said one of the girls at the protest march.
“We are also against the way the controversy has evolved and the attempt by a group of saffron wearing boy students of the Karnataka college to intimidate a lone girl student wearing ‘hijab’. We students of AMU stand in solidarity with those Muslim girls seeking their constitutional rights,” stated an AMU student.
On Wednesday also AMU students had sought permission to protest but the university authorities turned down their request citing the first phase of Uttar Pradesh polls on Thursday.
The students agreed to the varsity officials’ reasoning and postponed their protest march to Friday. Tight police arrangements were in place at AMU circle, near the AMU campus, for the protest march.
AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai said permission was not granted to the students for the protest march. “We have come to know that the students took out a peaceful march,” said Kidwai.