Hijab Protests Flare Up Across Karnataka

About 50 govt high schools in different parts of Karnataka witnessed protests by Muslim girls and some parents. The girls wanted to wear hijabs to school. On Monday, high schools reopened across the state with few protests.

After the violent protests last week over wearing hijab inside classrooms, the Karnataka government has beefed up police security during the opening of pre-university colleges on Wednesday. Across the state on Tuesday, 13 girl students boycotted the SSLC preparatory examination for not being allowed to wear the hijab and enter classrooms, and over 500 students boycotted classes.

Barring 7 colleges in Udupi and Kundapur, most private and government PU colleges seemed unaffected by the hijab versus-saffron-shawl controversy in the coastal districts. Dakshin Kannada, otherwise perceived as a communally sensitive district, has managed to keep the PU colleges calm and the controversy at bay. Principals of various colleges are hoping that classes will start without a hitch on Wednesday.

More than 160 students boycotted classes in Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts alone where Muslim girls study in large numbers.

“We have grown up wearing the hijab since our childhood and we cannot give it up. I won’t write the exam but go home,” a hijab-wearing girl told the teacher when they asked her to remove her headscarf. Several videos of angry parents arguing with school authorities and police over alleged denial of entry to classrooms while wearing the hijab went viral. This was reported from several government schools.