Balmukund Acharaya, legislator from Hawa Mahal constituency in the Pink City, made the remarks on Sunday at the annual function of a government senior secondary school where around 85% girls are Muslims.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Hijab-wearing students and their parents on Monday organised a massive protest in the Rajasthan city of Jaipur against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Balmukund Acharya for asking Muslim girls to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and not to wear hijab.
The protesters gathered at Subhash Chowk police station and demanded action against the legislator and sought his apology. The protesters shouted slogans like ‘Baba Maafi Mangega’ (Baba must apologise) and ‘hijab hamari jaan hai’ (hijab is our soul).
Acharaya, MLA from Hawa Mahal constituency in the Pink City, made the remarks on Sunday at the annual function of a government senior secondary school where around 85% girls are Muslims, reports reaching here said.
Viral videos of the function show the legislator asking school officials why they allow hijab in the school. “Prohibit them from wearing hijab. You have vitiated the atmosphere by allowing hijab in the school. Stop allowing hijab in the school and change these things, you have made them pack completely,” Acharya said in statements recorded by a local news channel. He also gave a chorus of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and reprimanded the students who did not respond to his chant.
Protesting girl students and their parents pointed out that Acharya himself wears saffron dress in the assembly. But, they said, he has problem with the Muslim girls wearing hijab.
“Acharya, who himself goes inside the assembly wearing saffron dress, has come to a school and asked Muslim girls to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and said that these girls will not wear hijab. What do these people actually want? Till when their arbitrariness will rule?,” a protesting woman is seen asking in a in a video.
“Why are they discriminating against Muslims? Why do they have problem with the Muslim women wearing hijab?” she added.
She pointed out that Uttar Pradesh chief minister wears saffron dress and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wears what he wants but Muslims don’t make any comments.
Rafeek Khan, Congress MLA from the city’s Adarsh Nagar constituency, tried raising the issue in the Rajasthan Assembly, but the Speaker did not allow him to speak and expunged his statement from the proceedings.
When Acharya was asked about the protest by the Muslim girl students, he claimed that he had asked the school principal about the dress code rules.
Acharya is not new to controversies. Last month, a case was registered against him at the intervention of the court for assaulting and abusing a person. After his election victory, videos of getting meat shops closed in Jaipur and warning an officer on phone regarding this also went viral on social media.
Meanwhile, Assistant Police Commissioner (North) Dr. Hemant Jakhar said that the girl students and their families demonstrated outside the police station on Monday in protest against the MLA’s statement during a programme in the school.
He said that the girl students and their families demanded that the MLA should tender an apology for his statement. They have also filed a complaint in this regard, he added.
The matter is being investigated. Efforts are being made to pacify the girl students and their families, said Jakhar.
