Hijab row crosses borders: What we know so far

The hijab controversy turned into a law and order issue at several places with clashes eruption between students wearing saffron shwals and hijabs

Amid the rising controversy over students wearing hijab in schools and colleges, the Karnataka government led by Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday declared a three-day holiday for all high schools, colleges and universities.

The hijab controversy turned into a law and order issue at several places with clashes erupting between groups of students wearing saffron shwals and hijabs in various colleges across the state.

The hijab row has now crossed the Karnataka border, with other states bracing for a similar situation.

Here's what we know so far:

1. The hijab row began after a clash erupted at the Udupi Government PU College when six students alleged that they had been barred from classes for insisting on wearing the headscarf. Following which, right-wing groups in Udupi and Chikkamagaluru objected to Muslim girls wearing the hijab to class.

Also Read — More protests in state, hijab case in Karnataka High Court today

2. After the Udupi hijab incident came to light, protests were reported in various colleges across the state. A section of students from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in Udupi demanded that the college either allow them to wear saffron shawls or ask Muslim girls to remove their headscarves. The students were supported by Hindu Jagarana Vedike. Later, the principal instructed the Muslim girl students to stop wearing the hijab inside the classrooms. Fresh protests erupted at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in Udupi on Tuesday after a large group of students wearing saffron stoles and headgears raised slogans in the college campus against the hijab as female Muslim students arrived at the college wearing headscarves.

3. Meanwhile, students wearing the hijab were made to sit in separate classrooms in Kundapura Government PU College, Sharada College in Basrur and even in Government Junior College, Byndoor.

Also Read — The Hijab Controversy: A whipped-up row

4. The entire controversy spread further as over 50 students of Mandya University wore saffron shawls and raised slogans. Claiming that a few students were wearing the hijab for the past one week, they said they would not relent until the girls shunned their hijab. The police intervened to defuse the tense situation. Students made similar demands in Vijayanagar, Shivamogga, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and Gadag districts. Adding another dimension to the controversy, students allied to Bahujan Vidyarthi Sangha wore blue shawls in IDSG Government First Grade College Chikkamagaluru, supporting students’ right to wear the hijab. Protests seeking the right to wear the hijab were also held in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Bhadravathi.

5. Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court while hearing the matter of the hijab ban in some junior colleges on Tuesday said that they will go by reason, by law and not by passions or emotions. The court requested the students as well as the general public to maintain peace and tranquility in the state.

6. In Puducherry, a scandal erupted after a government school principal allegedly instructed a Muslim student not to wear the hijab and burqa to school.

7. Amid the growing hijab row, Madhya Pradesh School Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar said the government will give priority to discipline. "Hijab isn't part of school uniform, which is why wearing it should be banned in schools. Traditions need to be followed by people at their homes and not at schools. We are working on strict enforcement of dress code at schools," he said.

Also Read — The hijab controversy: Propagation of religion not a crime

8. The issue also drew the attention of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who said that "refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying."

9. At a college in Mandya, a Muslim girl stood her ground as a large number of saffron scarf wearing boys heckled her and shouted slogans of "Jai Shri Ram". She shouted back at them: "Allah hu Akbar!"

10. While Karnataka Home minister Araga Jnanendra said that the government would probe the role of various organisations for instigating protests in parts of the state over the hijab row, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday appealed students to maintain peace amid the ongoing hijab row.

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