Will take appropriate action over Al-Qaeda terrorist praising Karnataka student: CM

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Monday that he would consider appropriate action against Karnataka student Muskan Khan, who was recently praised by Al-Qaeda terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri over the hijab row.

The controversy erupted after Zawahiri in a nine-minute video praised Muskan, a college student from Mandya district, for raising the slogan 'Allahu Akbar' to counter a mob chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' in the college premises at the height of the hijab crisis in Karnataka.

In the video titled 'The Noble Woman of India', Zawahiri could be heard reciting a poem he composed to praise Muskan.

Bommai's remarks came in the backdrop of BJP MP Ananth Kumar Hegde writing to him demanding to conduct a detailed probe against Muskan to identify if she has link with any proscribed outfit.

"I have no knowledge about the letter written by Ananth Kumar Hegde. I will speak to him and seek information about the issue. I will take appropriate action based on that," Bommai said.

Muskan's father Mohammad Hussain had earlier distanced himself from the video and stated that his daughter is more interested in studies and they are happily living with Hindu brothers in Karnataka.