Act with caution, circumspection

As protests over the wearing of headscarves (read hijab) and the counter protests to ban them spiral across Karnataka, there is a looming threat of such agitations turning violent. It is unfortunate that the state government has been forced to close all educational institutions for the next three days in the wake of mounting protests. They were opened only on January 31 after frequent closures during the last two pandemic-affected years.

Sanity demands that peace and social harmony are maintained at all cost in the state which has a long road ahead to recover from the damage and losses to the economy, education and normal life on the whole. It will be in the interest of the student community not to be misled by zealots operating from behind to mobilise support over an issue which does not pertain to academics and the quality of education.

It is a rather sad spectacle that differences and divisions are sought to be sown among students on the basis of faith and identity. Had the matter been resolved at the local level where the differences originated in the beginning, the issue would not have snowballed into a crisis of such proportions. An element of stridency is quite palpable in the way the issue has gathered momentum from day one.

As of now, the Karnataka High Court is seized of the matter and one will have to wait and see what solution the court comes up with. Muslim girl students had approached the court with a petition praying for restoration of their right to don the headscarf in the classroom following the Education Department’s directive to strictly enforce the prescribed uniform. It is wrong to liken the discipline in educational institutions with discipline and the uniform in the defence forces. The two domains have different roles and distinct objectives. While educational institutions perform the task of opening minds and encouraging the spirit of reason and inquiry, the role of an individual in the army is to comply with orders and execute the assignment.

The incidents of the past fortnight should make all of us introspect on how to restore peace and harmony in the campuses and make them comply with objectives they are tasked to carry out. Volatile issues concerning students and youth have the potential to blow up into a full fledged confrontation which would blow to pieces the peace so much needed for people to restore normalcy in their lives after two traumatic years of the pandemic.

It is time for all to act with caution and circumspection and not allow emotive politics to create a situation where harmony, so much needed for peaceful co-existence, is torn apart.