Hijab wearing girl heckled by Saffron shawl clad boys; Mehbooba-Omar slams Karnataka authorities

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers on Tuesday alleged that hatred against Muslims has been "normalised" and those who target Muslims enjoy "patronage" from those in power.

NC leader Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti were reacting to a purported video of PES College Karnataka on social media, showing a girl wearing hijab being hackled by a mob of chanting boys wearing saffron scarves.

"Harassing a Muslim girl in broad daylight without fear of any repercussions shows such goons enjoy patronage from those in Power," Mehbooba said in her tweet on the incident. "Such incidents shouldn't be seen in isolation as BJP hopes that it helps to polarise in Uttar Pradesh elections," she alleged.

"How brave these men are & how macho they must feel while targeting a lone young lady! Hatred for Muslims has been completely mainstreamed & normalised in India today. We are no longer a nation that celebrates our diversity, we want to punish & exclude people for it," he said. (UNI)