Hijab ban: Karnataka BJP tweets names and addresses of minor girls who have moved High Court
The party made these details public as it suggested that the Congress was behind the controversy.
The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday tweeted the names and addresses of some of the girls who have moved the High Court seeking permission to wear hijabs in educational institutions.
The party noted that four petitioners were “about 17 years old”. The party also shared their names and residential addresses. Citing these details, the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed the Congress was using girls to score political points.
“Don’t CONgress leaders Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka have any guilt for using minor girls to stay relevant in politics?” it said. “How low will they stoop to win elections?”
Sharing a minor’s identity or details is prohibited under Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, Section 23 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences, or POCSO, Act, 2012, and Section 288A of the Indian Penal Code.
This is not the first time the contact details of the students who have been involved in the protest have been leaked.
On February 11, the phone numbers of the six Muslim students who have been protesting for their right to wear hijabs in their college in Karnataka’s Udupi district were shared on social media.
Protests and hijab ban
The students of Karnataka’s Government Women’s Pre-University College have been agitating since last month after they were not allowed to attend classes for being dressed in hijabs. Similar protests have taken place across the state. On February 5, the Karnataka government had passed an order banning clothes that “disturb equality, integrity and public order”.
On February 10, the Karnataka High Court passed an interim order barring saffron scarves or hijabs in schools and colleges until further orders.
Several groups and individuals, including Congress leader Vadra and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, have condemned the hijab ban. At the same time, Hindu students and mobs of men have been protesting against women wearing hijab in colleges in Karnataka.
At some colleges, Muslim students have been heckled, while in another case some men climbed up a flagpole to plant a saffron flag and broke into classrooms.