Mangaluru cops deny permission to CFI rally, allow conference

On Friday, the CFI said it would hold a mega rally in Mangaluru, which would also see the participation of the six girls of Udupi government pre-university college, who spearheaded the fight against the ban on religious attire, including hijab, in educational institutions.

Mangaluru police on Saturday denied permission to the Campus Front of India (CFI) to take out a rally from Jyothi to Town Hall in the city but allowed the organisers to conduct a girls’ conference instead, commissioner N Shashi Kumar said.

Mangaluru police on Saturday denied permission to the Campus Front of India (CFI) to take out a rally from Jyothi to Town Hall in the city but allowed the organisers to conduct a girls’ conference instead, commissioner N Shashi Kumar said. (PTI)

On Friday, the CFI said it would hold a mega rally in Mangaluru, which would also see the participation of the six girls of Udupi government pre-university college, who spearheaded the fight against the ban on religious attire, including hijab, in educational institutions.

However, Mangaluru police said permission was given to the organisers to conduct a girls’ conference and not to take out a rally. After they were denied permission, the girls gathered for a rally at the Town Hall. In the presence of Mangaluru Police commissioner Shashi Kumar, they were convinced to take buses to the town hall instead.

Talking to the media, Shashi Kumar said that the police were able to convince the organisers not to take out the rally after a lengthy discussion.

“The organisers had gone to the local police station four to five days ago seeking permission for the event. We had told them that we won’t give permission for a rally but would provide protection for the conference they are holding. Following this, they came to my office and appraised me of the situation, but even I told them that permission for a rally can’t be given,” Kumar.

The commissioner said that on Saturday, a large group of students gathered near Jyothi circle and the Wenlock hospital, even though police had not given any permission for a rally. “The organisers had publicised the event before approaching us for permission and the event was shared on social media widely. So, after the permission was denied for the rally, those who saw this invitation came for the rally. We went to these locations and told them that no permission was given and asked them to leave for the conference by bus,” he said.

The commissioner said that there were no conflicts between the organisers and the police, and the police are providing protection at the conference.

The Karnataka committee of CFI is conducting a conference with the theme ‘ensure freedom of choice and uphold democratically values’, months after the state witnessed a standoff over the hijab.

In December last year, at least eight Muslim students were stopped from entering class wearing the hijab. On January 1, the college development council (CDC) passed an order banning the hijab inside campuses, leading to students sitting outside the college building, but within the campus, in protest.

College authorities maintained that the hijab was never allowed inside classrooms. By February, as the controversy spread across the state, there were counter-protests with some students wearing saffron shawls. On February 3, a video of the government PU college principal shutting the gates on at least 25 hijab-wearing students in Udupi’s Kundapura turned the issue into a wider movement.

“We are gathered here to discuss the problems women are facing in our country. In our country, particularly in our state, girls are denied their right to education or they are being targeted because they are Muslims. We are holding the conference condemning these instances,” said one of the participants.

On Friday, a forum of right-wing groups in Karnataka issued a letter to the Mangaluru city police, requesting them not to permit the CFI to hold a rally and event in the coastal city.

“Campus Front of India, the student wing of the Popular Front of India (PFI) is scheduled to host a big event on July 16. This is a very dangerous development given the law-and-order situation. We, the forum for Hindu organisations, demand that under no circumstances should permission be given to this event,” the group said in its letter.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a batch of pleas on Wednesday challenging the Karnataka high court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state. A bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan that the matters were filed long back but were yet to be listed for hearing.