Hindutva outfit instigated 'saffron' ruction in Udupi college: report

Udupi/Karnataka: The 'anti-hijab' demonstrations at MGM college in Udupi, Karnataka, which sported saffron shawls and turbans, were incited by the right-wing outfit, Hindu Jagarana Vedike (HJV), an investigation into the Tuesday incident by The News Minute found (TNM).

The incident, which led to the confrontation of many saffron-clad students and a group of Muslim girls, wasn't spontaneous. Curiously, the 'anti-hijab' saffron-clad demonstrations were also happened not at the same college where everything started, TNM says.

TNM dug out a WhatsApp message circulated two days before the demonstrations in MGM college. The message in Kannada read that the hijab issue is becoming big in all colleges of Udupi, and Muslim students are creating a stir through social media. Hijab wearing is there in MGM college too, which needed to be ended, and for that, all should come and fight to safeguard uniformity, the message said. It instructed readers to bring saffron shawls to school and wear it on their shoulders when organizers say. TNM was told by a source that the message's origin was from outside the college.

The message had instructed the students to come with the shawls on Monday, but there weren't any protests, but on Tuesday, it happened, as well as the standoff between saffron-clad students and Muslim girls. BJP leader Yashpal Suvarna was spotted there during the faceoff.

But after the faceoff was broken off following college authorities intervention, the 'anti-hijab' front was seen returning their saffron attires to members of HJV, and it was video graphed and reported by BOOM Live.

HJV leader Prakash Kukkehalli told TNM that they are opposing communal organizations' disturbing harmony and misleading students using the hijab issue.

However, the HJV Udupi district president denied that the organization mobilized the students. He claimed that "everything happened till date" were done by students, and the organization had no involvement. Students had the money to buy shawls, and they arranged the protests.

TNM also found proof that the shawls and turbans used in the protest were the ones used for the 'Durga Daud' event organized by HJV in October last year. The same was used again in the Tuesday demonstration; one of the students wearing them told TNM.

BJP Udupi and other Hindutva outfits always maintained that the protest by the Muslim girl's in Udupi Women's Government PU College, where the recent hijab issue was born, was incited by the Campus Front of India (CFI). But CFI told TNM that they entered the fray after the protesting girls sought their support.