On Tuesday, the Cyber Crime Division of the Bengaluru South division registered a case against Ateeq Shariff, the administrator of a Facebook page ‘Mangalore Muslims’ for posting derogatory messages against one of the three judges of the Karnataka High Court hearing the hijab case.
The case has been registered against Shariff and another associate for posting derogatory content on February 12 against one of the judges questioning his credentials and integrity. The case was registered by the Cyber Crime Division on its own.
According to the reports, the Police has said that the persons who have liked the post may also face penal action. The three-judge bench specially constituted to hear the hijab case comprises Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice J M Khazi and Justice Krishna S Dixit.
The case is similar to the one in which Kannada actor Chetan Kumar Ahimsa had targeted Justice Krishna Dixit questioning his clarity. Taking to Twitter handle, Ahimsa on February 6 had retweeted his June 2020 post with a fresh comment on Justice Krishna Dixit.
“This is a tweet I wrote nearly two years ago regarding a Karnataka High Court decision. Justice Krishna Dixit made such disturbing comments in a rape case. Now, this same judge is determining whether #hijabs are acceptable or not in govt schools. Does he have the clarity required?”, his post read. The actor was arrested by the police and booked under 505(2) and 504 of the IPC.
Meanwhile, this is not the first case that has been registered against the Facebook page ‘Mangalore Muslims’. Earlier on February 23, the Mangaluru police had registered an FIR against admins for inciting hatred and violence by posting derogatory content about the 26-year-old Bajrang Dal leader Harsha. The Hindu leader was stabbed to death by Muslims on the streets of Karnataka’s Shivamogga.
The Facebook page had posted content defending Harsha’s murder and referred to him as a street dog. The page had claimed that Harsha was murdered for allegedly abusing Prophet Mohammed in the year 2015. It had also added that whoever insults the Prophet will meet the same fate.
Mangalore Muslims page has been accused of repeatedly posting provocative posts against Hindutva outfits and Hindu political leaders to spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims and provoke to indulge in violence.
The hijab controversy in Karnataka gained momentum in the first week of January after eight Muslim girls were denied entry to classes in a Udupi college because they were wearing hijab. The college authorities had informed that the hijab was not a part of the uniform dress code mandated for the students.
The Muslim girls, adamant about wearing hijab, then filed a petition in High Court seeking permission to attend classes with hijab. They stated that wearing the hijab was their ‘fundamental right’ granted under Articles 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution and ‘integral practice of Islam’.
The controversy spiralled as Hindu students in Karnataka styled with saffron scarves around their necks, protested against Muslim girls continuing to wear Hijab to the college. Tensions also prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote and other parts as incidents of stone-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state. The order of the hijab case is still pending in the High Court.
