‘Let Christ-haters first look in the mirror’: Poet K. Satchidanandan responds to Kerala school hijab row

Kerala Sahitya Akademi president and noted poet K. Satchidanandan has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the hijab issue at St. Rita’s Public School, Palluruthy, Kochi.

In a Facebook post, Mr. Satchidanandan wrote, “Christ-haters are on the rise. Let them first look in the mirror — and then go to Rajasthan to see Hindu women who cover their faces.”

He added a reminder of Christ’s message of compassion, saying, “Jesus did not teach people to make others weep, but to wipe their tears.”

The statement comes amid a heated debate after parents of a Class 9 student alleged that the Church-run CBSE school refused to allow their daughter to attend classes wearing a hijab (headscarf).

The incident has since ignited Statewide discussions on religious freedom, secularism, and dress codes in Kerala’s educational institutions.