Film Actor Arrested in India's Karnataka Over Remarks About Judge Hearing Hijab Case, Reports Say

The so-called Karnataka hijab row started in January after several female students wearing the Muslim headscarves were barred from entering pre-university colleges. Since then, there have been several protest both supporting and opposing the hijab-clad girls. After protests turned violent, the government declared holidays in schools and colleges.

Amid the ongoing hijab row in the Indian state of Karnataka, film actor and activist Chetan Kumar Ahimsa has been arrested, allegedly for his objectionable tweet against a High Court judge hearing the hijab case, according to Indian media reports.

Kumar was arrested late Tuesday evening after a suo motu case was registered against him.

The police said the case has been registered against Kumar under Sections 505(2) and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

His arrest came days after he participated in a protest march organised by pro-Dalit organisations.

Last Wednesday, Kumar retweeted one of his old social media posts about Justice Krishna Dixit who had granted pre-arrest bail to a suspect in a rape case.

On 27 June 2020, he tweeted, "This week KA (Karnataka) High Court Justice Krishna Dixit grantd [sic] pre-arrest bail to rape-accused Rakesh B claiming 'it is unbecoming of Indian woman to sleep after rape; that is not way women react when they are ravished'. What's 'unbecoming' is 21st c misogyny of this judiciary Dixit fossil".

Retweeting the aforementioned on 16 February, he wrote, "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?"

There have been several protests since authorities at a pre-university college refused to allow Muslim girls wearing hijabs to enter classrooms in January.

A petition was filed by several students with the Karnataka High Court, seeking permission to wear hijabs in their college. The hearing over the matter is still going on.

Muslims in Karnataka staged a protest against the decision to bar the entry of girls wearing hijabs in schools.

Following the demonstration by Muslims, clashes with saffron-shawl wearing Hindu students were reported at several places, forcing the state authorities in Karnataka to shut down educational institutions for a few days.

The situation has drawn condemnation from Pakistani activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, French footballer Paul Pogba, Kuwaiti MPs, the US, and the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), who called it "horrifying".

The Indian government has rebuffed the criticism, saying it is an internal matter.