By Our Correspondent
PHAGWARA/CHANDIGARH: BJP National Leader Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal has welcomed the assurance and statement of Primary and Secondary Education Minister of Karnataka BC Nagesh who has clarified the controversial issue of turban wearing Sikh students in schools / colleges and openly said that wearing the turban is the constitutional right for the Sikh community and the high court’s interim order is only applicable to the wearing of hijab, saffron stole and religious flags only.
Grewal who talked with Karnataka Minister Nagesh last night told that there was confusion among the parents of Sikh students over the turban-wearing Sikh community students, but it should be cleared as Education Minister Nagesh has clarified that the high court’s interim order while hearing the petitions pertaining to the “Hijab” is not applicable to the sikh community students.
Grewal said that the Karnataka Minister told him that the management of the controversial college also denied the reports that they had ever asked or forced a sikh community student girl to remove the turban or restrained her from wearing the turban.
The toxic controversy in Karnataka over hijabs in classrooms risked chiseling a new fault line with a college in Bengaluru requesting a Sikh girl to remove her turban and eventually allowing her – as well as Muslim students with headscarves – after her family refused to comply.
In a temporary order pending the consideration of all petitions related to the hijab row, the Karnataka High Court had restrained all students in the state from wearing saffron shawls, scarves, hijab and any religious flag within the classroom earlier this month.
Authorities at the Mount Carmel PU College said they informed students about the court order when the educational institution reopened on February 16.
BJP Leader Grewal appealed to the so-called leaders not to politicalize the issue only for their vested political interests as no power of the world can prevent any person of the Sikh Community to follow Sikh religious traditions. He said Hijab is a separate issue.
