A day after the row over students sporting hijab and saffron shawls took a violent turn in a few places in the State, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education B.C. Nagesh said the police had begun to identify those responsible and arrest them.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here on Wednesday, the Minister said the Police Department had begun pouring over footage of the violence and arresting persons found to be instigating it.
47 protests reported
He said that protests had been reported from 47 places, but they took a violent turn only in three places – Harihara, Shivamogga and Davangere. He added that in a majority of the 5,000-odd PU colleges in the State, there was no disruption in classes.
“The protests have been reported in PU colleges that are attached to degree colleges,” he pointed out.
Without naming any organisation, Mr. Nagesh said the organisations that have been “managing” the row from behind the screens have not been able to achieve their objective. He refuted allegations that the row over hijab and saffron shawls was to divert the attention from the Centre not allowing Narayana Guru tableaux of Kerala in R-Day parade, which had created resentment in the coastal Karnataka parts as well.
Meanwhile, colleges and high schools in Karnataka remained shut on Wednesday, as the Government on Wednesday declared a holiday for three days as the hijab-saffron shawl row escalated.
The situation in Harihar town of Davangere district which witnessed some tense moments on Tuesday remained calm on Wednesday. However as a precautionary measure, prohibitory orders imposed on Tuesday have been extended till midnight of Friday in Davangere city and Harihar taluk.
Cases registered
At Shivamogga, the police registered four cases with regard to incidents of stone-pelting and assault during the protests on Tuesday. Four people were injured and a police vehicle was damaged during the protests.
The coastal belt, which was where the controversy had its genesis, remained calm on Wednesday. The tense situation on Tuesday had forced three colleges in the belt, two in Udupi and one in Dakshina Kannada, to declare holiday even before the Government’s holiday announcement.
However, demands from organisations for and against wearing hijab and saffron shawls continued in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi on Wednesday, with multiple press conferences held.
