Hijab petitioners in Udupi want their family members left alone, appeal to journalists to respect their privacy

Hijab and burqa clad students standing outside the entrance of MGM College in Udupi on February 24.

Addressing mediapersons in Udupi on February 23, four of the six teenage girls whose writ petition regarding the wearing of hijab is currently being heard in the Karnataka High Court said that their family members should not be dragged into the matter. “This is a matter pertaining to our rights. We are just asking for our rights and have approached the court in this matter. Why are our family members being dragged into this issue? Do not drag our family members into our struggle,” said 17-year-old Aliya Assadi who is a student of the Government Girls Pre-University College in Udupi. A hotel owned by the father of one of the petitioners, Hazra Shifa, was vandalised on February 21, while her brother, Saif, was also attacked at the same time.

Aliya Assadi added: “The administration of our college leaked our phone numbers and home addresses because of which we received threatening calls. We had to change our numbers because of this. After this, journalists of a television news channel came to our house with a hidden camera. They have exceeded all the limits while invading our personal lives and have telecast videos of my grandmother and elder brother.”

Another petitioner in the case, Almas, said, “We have been struggling to study at home for the past two months but have been unable to concentrate on our studies because of the stress, mental pressure as well as the threatening calls that we have been receiving. I appeal to all journalists to respect our privacy. The videos that have been telecast have led to mental trauma for us. Journalists have been coming home without our permission and these videos have gone viral. Please respect our privacy.”