On Monday night, Hazra Shifa, a Karnataka student who filed a high court petition challenging the prohibition on hijab in educational institutions, said that her 20-year-old brother was beaten and her father’s restaurant in Udupi was vandalised.
She was one of the first students to oppose Udupi Pre-University Girl’s College’s decision not to allow hijab, filing the first appeal against the ban, and refusing to sit for examinations due to the prohibition.
My brother was brutally attacked by a mob. Just because I continue to stand for My #Hijab which is MY RIGHT. Our property were ruined as well. Why?? Can't I demand my right? Who will be their next victim? I demand action to be taken against the Sangh Parivar goons. @UdupiPolice
— Hazra Shifa (@hazra_shifa) February 21, 2022
The horrific attack, according to Hazra, was carried out by Sangh Parivar goons. Hazra said that a first information report (FIR) for the attack had been filed and urged that the perpetrators be “held accountable” and arrested right away.
Several people encircled the restaurant at closing time, according to the complaint, and began up a conversation with the girl’s brother. Soon after, the gang became enraged and attacked him. The group also smashed the windows of the restaurant.
In a tweet, Masood Manna of the Campus Front of India (CFI), a student organisation affiliated with the Popular Front of India (PFI), said that a group of 150 people attacked the girl’s brother. However, this number was disputed by the police as being inflated.
This incident came about ten days after the parents of six Muslim female students, who were among the first to speak out against the hijab ban, submitted a police report alleging that their children’s personal information was being circulated on social media amid the state’s developing hijab ban.
