New Delhi: The Hijab controversy that first began from Karnataka is now spreading like wildfire in many other parts of the country. Many schools in other states - from Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh - are now facing students coming up with similar demands where they are asking adminitration to allow wearing hijab inside the classrooms.
In today's DNA, Zee News' Sachin Arora makes an analysis as to whether these protests are an attempt to impose a Madrassa system in the country.
So far, demands to wear hijabs have been raised in schools in Karnataka, Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, with latest protests being witnessed in Rajasthan.
In India, there are more than 1 lakh functional Madarsas (Islamic schools) - where the students are allowed to study wearing Burqa and hijab and students are allowed to pray between the classes.
However, it seems that people of a particular ideology wish to implement the same system in the schools that were so far free from religious extremism.
In a video, that emerged from Rajasthan's Jaipur, a 21-year-old student was seen trying to enter her school in hijab. The school administration later said that the school has a dress code and no one has ever raised an objection to it. The female students here were witnessing school without a burqa or hijab before the Karnataka controvery broke out.
The Hindu students of the same school have shown their opposition to girls wearing hijab, and the matter has even reached court. It is unfortunate that even in the schools, where the uniform dress code is in place, some student are trying to violate it for their demands to wear hijab.
A similar incident was witnessed in Maharshtra'a Malegaon - where thousands of girl students protested wearing the hijab.
However, the larger question that arises out of the situation is - what will happen to the future of 25 crore students who study in around 15 lakh educational institutions.
