Four professors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, have written to the National Women’s Commission, urging it to register a case against the intimidation of Muslim women students in Karnataka.

“We urge the National Commission for Women (NCW) to exercise its powers and urgently take suo motu cognisance of reports of intimidation of Muslim women students based on religious attire,” urged professors Ritwik Banerjee, Deepak Malghan, Prateek Raj and Hema Swaminathan in their letter addressed to NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma.

“This petition concerns the continuing harassment of Muslim women students in Karnataka that in many instances could jeopardise their safety and dignity,” the signatories noted alluding to statewide protests against allowing students wearing hijab to colleges.

“Women across all religions face patriarchal restrictions of one kind or the other. Certainly, we cannot condone such practices and we must work with men, women, and religious leaders to bring about change. But to single out one religious practice is not acceptable,” the professors stated, alluding to the hijab row.

The academics highlighted the importance of education in empowering women, and noted that fear and intimidation would dissuade parents from sending girls to schools and colleges. “The atmosphere of fear and intimidation will make parents hesitate to send daughters to schools and colleges. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao will be an abject failure, not just for Muslim girls, but for girls across all communities. Failure of law and rule of intimidation affects everyone.”

A collective of over 20 NGOs and activists under the banner ‘If We Do Not Rise’ has written an open letter to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, terming the ongoing anti-hijab protests as “institutionalised apartheid”.

“A gendered institutionalised apartheid is being systematically being put in place in colleges like in Chikmagalur, Mandya and Shimoga where the administrations are actively involved in preventing Muslim women students in hijab from entering the premises and even sitting for examinations.

“Flames of hatred are being fanned between students from Hindu and Muslim communities who earlier studied together as friends. And all this as part of a plan to deliberately cultivate a culture of Islamophobia to target, demonise and marginalise the Muslim community in the name of creating a Hindu nation that totally goes against the spirit of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam that this country and land has prided itself on,” stated the signatories that included All India Progressive Women’s Association Karnataka, Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and Stree Jagruti Samiti.

“We want to reiterate in no uncertain terms that this issue is not that of hijab versus saffron scarves that the media and majoritarian forces are trying to reduce it to. It is clearly an issue of Muslim women’s right to education and their security on which there can be no compromise whatsoever,” they added.