Unfortunate that some people trying to gain political mileage out of it: Ajit Pawar on Hijab row

On the ongoing Hijab controversy in Karnataka, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said that the country should avoid incidents that can divide society further, adding that it is unfortunate that some people are trying to gain political mileage out of it.

He also said that the Indian culture and Constitution does not teach to divide people on caste and religious lines.

"We should avoid incidents that can further divide society. It's unfortunate that some people are trying to gain political mileage out of it. Indian culture and Constitution don't teach us to divide people on caste and religious lines," said Pawar during a press conference here today.

The Hijab protests began on February 4 at the Government Girls PU college in Udupi district in Karnataka when some students alleged that they had been barred from attending classes. During the protests, some students were allegedly denied entry to college wearing hijab by Muslim women earlier this month.

Following these protests, a three-day holiday from February 9 has been declared in all the universities under the Department of Higher Education and colleges under the department of Collegiate and Technical Education (DCTE).

On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court also appealed to the student community and the public at large to maintain peace and tranquillity while hearing various pleas challenging a ban on hijab in the state.

( With inputs from ANI )