It is woman's right to decide what she wants to wear, stop harassing: Priyanka on Karnataka hijab row

NEW DELHI: 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, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Wednesday amid the ongoing hijab row in Karnataka. She asserted that this right is guaranteed by the Constitution.

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Incidents of stone pelting and use of force by police were reported on Tuesday as the hijab row in Karnataka escalated and protests by students spread to more colleges prompting the state government to declare a three-day holiday for all educational institutions. "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," Gandhi tweeted. "This right is GUARANTEED by the Indian constitution. Stop harassing women," she said using the hashtag 'ladkihoonladsaktihoon'.

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. #ladkihoonladsaktihoon

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) February 9, 2022

The hijab controversy first erupted in January at a government PU College in Udupi, where six students who attended classes wearing headscarf in violation of the stipulated dress code were asked to leave the campus, has spread to different parts of the state with Hindu students too responding by turning up in saffron shawls. Such saffron-clad students are also being barred from entering classes.

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The row has also taken a political colour as the ruling BJP stood strongly in support of uniform-related rules being enforced by educational institutions, calling the headscarf, a religious symbol, while the opposition Congress has come out in support of Muslim girls.

As protest for and against the ‘hijab’ intensified in Karnataka, the chief minister Basavaraj S Bommai ordered closure of schools, colleges in the state for the next three days. He also appealed to students and people to maintain peace.

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday heard petitions filed by five girls studying in a Government Pre-university College in Udupi, questioning hijab restriction in college and the matter has been posted for Wednesday.