Hijab row in Tripura takes communal turn, BJP accused of ‘Creating Trouble’

Two days after a minority school student was beaten over hijab row in Tripura, the opposition parties have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government of attempting to divert the attention of the people’s core issues by “disturbing communal peace eyeing the ensuing by-polls in two Assembly constituencies and 2024 Lok Sabha elections”.

The Communist Party of India (CPM), in a press statement released recently, alleged that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) are serving notices to the schools in this mixed-populated areas for the past few days with the target of disturbing communal peace and harmony by spreading hatred messages against the minority community.

“ Eyeing the Lok Sabha polls and by-polls in two Assembly constituencies, the BJP, intentionally attempting to gain profit through polarisation of voters by creating an environment of hatred and communal differences and diverting people’s attention from burning problems of the state like deterioration of law and order, food and job crisis of working-class people, problems in education sector, supply of drinking water and power facilities, irrigation, dilapidated road conditions,” reads the press statement of the CPM.

A minority Class 10 student of Karaimura Higher Secondary School at Bishalgarh in Sepahijala district was allegedly beaten up by a group of outsiders on August 4 outside the school premises as the former protested against their attempt to prohibit the minority girls’ wearing hijab in schools.

The incident sparked outrage among the locals who claimed that VHP members met the school headmaster a few days ago and requested him not to allow the minority female students to enter the school wearing a hijab as “it is non-compliance with the prescribed government uniform”.

Later, a case was lodged at Bishalgarh police station against seven accused persons under sections 325 (causing grievous injury) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

“All the accused persons were served notice to appear in the concerned police station on Saturday. Accordingly, they have appeared before the police. The police are investigating the matter,” said assistant inspector general of police Jyotisman Daschaudhuri.

Likewise, the Congress demanded the state government to identify those “outsiders” and arrest them at the earliest. The party accused the BJP government of diverting attention from core issues including price hikes, unemployment and others through their attempt of instigating riots centring the hijab issue.

Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman slammed the BJP on the incident saying, “Some outsiders entered the school and harassed girl students and someone objected and was badly beaten up. Who had given right to the outsiders to enter the school and harass the girl students? Such incident is not restricted to this school but is happening throughout the country.”

He alleged that the common people and youths are upset with the state government over core issues, including price hikes of essential commodities and unemployment and urged people across the country to eradicate the existing government from power in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to get rid of these problems.

“They (BJP) tried to divert people’s attention on Hindu-Muslim card…I thank the peaceful people of the area for not taking the law into their hands…We demand those outsiders to be identified and arrest them. I urge people of not only my state but across the country to eradicate the government in 2024 Lok Sabha polls to get rid of core problems” he told the reporters on Sunday.