It is unjust to make girls choose between education and Hijab, Hijab is obligation: Zaira Wasim
Srinagar/Mumbai, Feb 20: Former actor Zaira Wasim of Dangal fame has expressed her disappointment over the hijab row and said it is an unjust choice to make between education and hijab, which is an obligation in Islam.
The hijab row began last month when six students at Government PU College in Udupi, who attended the class wearing the headscarf were prohibited from entering the college as it was in violation of the stipulated dress code.
Wasim penned a lengthy note on social media, which she posted on her Twitter and Instagram accounts, voicing her opinion on the backlash hijab-wearing girls and women are facing in the country.
The inherited notion of hijab being a choice is an ill-informed one. It's often either a construct of convenience or ignorance. Hijab isn't a choice but an obligation in Islam.
Likewise, a woman who wears the hijab is fulfilling an obligation enjoined upon her by the God she loves and has submitted herself to, the National Award-winning actor, who had announced her disassociation from acting in 2019 as it interfered with her faith and religion, wrote in the note.
The 21-year-old said she wears hijab with gratitude and humility but resents those who harass and prevent women from wearing it.
I, as a woman who wears the hijab with gratitude and humility, resent and resist this entire system where women are being stopped and harassed for merely carrying out a religious commitment, the Kashmir-born former actor said.
She said that an agenda is being manufactured where women are being asked to make a choice between hijab and education.
Stacking this bias against Muslim women and setting up systems where they should have to decide between education and hijab or to give up either is an absolute injustice, she said.
You're attempting to compel them to make a very specific choice that feeds your agenda and then criticising them while they're imprisoned in what you've constructed. There is no other option to encourage them to choose differently. What is this if not a bias with people who confirm it acting in support of it? she added.
Wasim said she is saddened that the issue is being labelled as one about empowerment.
On top of all this, building a facade that all this is being done in the name of empowerment is even worse when it is quite exactly the opposite of that. Sad," she concluded.
There have also been reports of similar instances of students turning up at educational institutions with either hijab or saffron shawl in Ramdurg PU College in Belagavi and a college in Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga, and also a group of girls staging demonstration at Bannimantapa (Mysuru) in favour of the hijab.
The issue snowballed into a major controversy and the matter is being heard at the Karnataka High Court.
Wasim, who also starred in the 2017 film Secret Superstar, was last seen in The Sky is Pink (2019).
— Zaira Wasim (@ZairaWasimmm) February 19, 2022
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NHAI may consider asking road contractors to setup gaushalas for stray animals on highways: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday told the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to consider asking concessionaires involved in construction of roads to set up a gaushala (cowshed) under CSR responsibility to take care of stray animals entering the highways.
A bench of justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria which reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions seeking modification of the November 7 order of the top court on relocation and sterilisation of stray dogs expressed its unhappiness over the efforts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in complying with its direction.
The top court said the efforts of the Punjab government in sterilising 100 stray dogs a day was inadequate and said it is "needle in a haystack".
The bench asked the counsel appearing for NHAI to also develop an app where people can report sightings of stray animals on the national highways.
"You can also ask the concessionaires to setup a gaushala after say 50 km where these stray animals can be taken care of under the corporate social responsibility," the bench told the counsel.
The counsel agreed to look into the possibility of developing the app and asking the concessionaire to set up gaushalas.
The NHAI counsel pointed that there were over 1300 vulnerable locations on the National Highways and the authority is dealing with it to avoid any road mishaps.
He said that most of the states have taken steps in removing stray cattle from the highways but still few like Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Rajasthan are yet to come forward to deal with the issue.
Dealing with the compliance of its earlier directions, the top court was told by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for Rajasthan that sterilisation centres and fencing of education institutional areas have been done in the state.
The bench pointed out that as per the affidavit of the state government only 45 vans are there for catching stray dogs and said it was insufficient.
"Around 20 vans will be required for Jaipur alone. You need to ramp up the facilities and increase the number of vehicles for different cities. The arguments have been made that the CSVR (Capture, Sterilise, Vaccinate and Release) formula under the ABC rules has to be implemented. Unless there are more vehicles and manpower, how will you manage that," Justice Mehta asked.
Bhati said, "We have sought more budgetary allocations to deal with the issue."
The bench said, "If you don't tackle this problem today it will keep on magnifying. Every year the population of stray dogs will go up by 10-15 per cent. You are increasing your own problems by avoiding this. As Punjab said, they are doing sterilisation for 100 dogs a day. This is no use. It is a needle in a haystack."
The counsel for the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) informed the bench that after November 7, last year, order of the apex court there was surge in applications from NGOs and private parties for opening of sterilisation centres and animal shelters.
"There are certain pending applications. There are more than 250 applications filed after the November 7 order...They have not yet been given recognition by us," the counsel said.
She pointed out inaccuracies in data reported by many state governments on sterilisation of stray dogs and said that in one State the dog population is less while the data for sterilisation is more.
Justice Nath while asking the parties to file their written submissions as early as possible asked the AWBI, "Our only request to the AWBI is whatever applications are pending, you should process them expeditiously. Either you accept it or reject them but take a decision."
At the outset, senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal who has been appointed as amicus curiae summarised the steps taken by states like Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in complying with the orders and pointed out the deficiencies.
On Wednesday, the top court flagged its concern over state governments not complying with its directions to enhance their stray dogs sterilisation capacity, saying, "They are all building castles in the air."
The top court was hearing several petitions seeking modification of its November 7, 2025, order directing authorities to remove stray animals from the institutional areas and roads.
On January 13, the top court said it would ask states to pay a "heavy compensation" for dog bite incidents and hold dog feeders accountable for such cases.
The court also flagged concerns over the non-implementation of norms on stray animals for the last five years.
Taking note of the "alarming rise" in dog-bite incidents within institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, the apex court on November 7 directed relocation of stray canines forthwith to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination.
It had also said stray dogs picked up shall not be released back to their original place.
The court had directed authorities to ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from the state highways, national highways and expressways.
The top court is hearing a suo motu case, initiated on July 28 last year, over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.
