Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said he has instructed senior police officers to determine the authenticity of a video of Al Qaeda chief Ayman Al Zawahiri praising a student who had shouted “Allah-hu-Akbar” after being heckled by a Hindu mob for wearing a hijab, PTI reported.
Bommai added that he was not surprised by the video.
“Some forces have been continuously creating chaos and confusion among masses,” Bommai claimed. “As part of it, the Al Qaeda has expressed its views explicitly.”
The chief minister was referring to a video released on Tuesday, in which the Al Qaeda chief had made extensive references to protests by Muslims in Karnataka seeking the right to wear the hijab.
In the video, the Al Qaeda chief had praised a student who shouted slogans of “Allah-hu-Akbar” after being heckled with chants of “Jai Shri Ram” by a Hindu mob outside a college in the Mandya district on February 8.
The incident had occurred during a protest by Hindu students against the wearing of the hijab in educational institutions in Karnataka. A video of the brief episode had gone viral on social media.
However, after Zawahiri’s video was released, the student’s family had distanced himself from it. Her father had said that the comments made by Zawahiri were wrong and had asked the police and the state administration to initiate an inquiry.
“We are living peacefully in our country, we don’t want him to talk about us, as he is not related to us... it is wrong, it is an attempt to create division among us,” the girl’s father had said.
Bommai on Thursday also dismissed remarks by Congress Siddaramaiah, who had alleged the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of being the force behind Zawahiri’s video, according to PTI.
“I wonder why Siddaramaiah became restless after Al Qaeda’s name cropped up,” Bommai said. “What is his [Siddaramaiah] problem if Al Qaeda’s name surfaces?”
On Wednesday, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra had also said that the police will look into the alleged link between Al Qaeda and those who were part of the protest against the hijab ban in the state.
Jnanendra said that the Karnataka High Court had also suggested the possibility of “unseen hands behind the hijab row”.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!