On Thursday, February 10, Javed Akhtar expressed his displeasure with the recent events in Karnataka. The ban on the hijab in schools and colleges enacted by the Karnataka government has sparked widespread outrage and protests across the state. The state administration has cited section 133 (2) of the Karnataka Education Act-1983, which states that uniform clothing must be worn at all times.
Javed has tweeted, “I have never been in favour of Hijab or Burqa. I still stand by that but at the same time, I have nothing but deep contempt for these mobs of hooligans who are trying to intimidate a small group of girls and that too unsuccessfully. Is this their idea of 'MANLINESS'. What a pity."
Earlier Kamal Haasan took to Twitter to condemn the act. He tweeted, "What is happening in Karnataka is provoking unrest. A religious poison wall is being erected among the students who are not lying. What is happening in the neighbouring state beyond the single wall should not come to Tamil Nadu. It is time for the progressive forces to be more careful."
The protests in Karnataka began last month, when a few students at the Government Girls PU College in Udupi said they were barred from attending courses because they wore hijab. Several acts of unrest have occurred in the state since then. A video showing a group of slogan-shouting guys approaching a female student in a burqa was extensively criticised on social media earlier this week. Before entering the college building, the female student was spotted standing her ground unfazed.
Several celebrities, including,Richa Chadha, Swara Bhasker, and Onir, have spoken out against the ongoing protests in Karnataka, calling it a "shameful state of affairs."
