Huge protests erupted in Karnataka over hijab controversy
Udupi:
Schools and colleges have been ordered to be closed for three days as protests intensified against the ban on wearing of hijab by students in Karnataka.
In fresh demonstrations on Tuesday, officers fired tear gas to disperse a crowd at a government-run campus, while schools in nearby towns saw heavy police presence.
The appeal for calm came after Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced the closure of all schools in the state for three days.
“I appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges to maintain peace and harmony,” he said.
Last month, students at a government-run college were asked not to wear hijab, which soon spread to other educational institutions in the state.
“All of a sudden they’re saying you shouldn’t wear the hijab… why did they start now?” Ayesha, a teenage student at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in the coastal city of Udupi.
Ayesha said a teacher had turned her away from a chemistry exam for wearing a hijab.
“We are not against any religion. We are not opposing anyone. It is only for our own rights,” he told AFP.
Amrit, a fellow student standing near a crowd of boys wearing saffron shawls, said the altercation had wrongly prevented her from attending class.
“We… had requested her not to wear the hijab,” she said. “But today he is wearing a hijab. He is not letting us in.”
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday began hearing a petition challenging the validity of the ban, but adjourned it before delivering its verdict.
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