Karnataka Hijab Row Updates: Classes 9, 10 to reopen from Monday, decision on seniors and colleges later

As the “hijab row” in Karnataka escalated on Tuesday, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, “The BJP government is not allowing our daughters to wear a hijab and study but PM Narendra Modi talks about empowering Muslim women with the triple talaq law.

Madhya Pradesh school education minister Inder Singh Parmar waded into the hijab controversy on Tuesday by backing a ban on campus, but suggested that the Karnataka issue shouldn’t be politicised.

Political parties and their student wings are being blamed for turning college campuses into hotbeds of protests, violence and politics over wearing hijab on campuses in Karnataka. “It’s a crisis of politics, not students,” is how an academician from Mangaluru described the stand-off.

The hijab row that started as a stray incident and spread to multiple districts in Karnataka has prompted preemptive action from the government. However, the student community in Bengaluru — although concerned about the developments — is yet to witness any upheaval, which among other things is attributed to their diverse priorities.

A student wearing the hijab was heckled and harassed by youth wearing saffron scarves at PES College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mandya, on Tuesday.

As the hijab controversy took a violent turn in Karnataka on Tuesday, the state government declared a three-day holiday for high schools and colleges across the state. They will reopen on February 12.

The Karnataka high court, which on Tuesday started hearing arguments on a batch of petitions against hijab ban in classrooms in the state, has requested students and the public to maintain peace and tranquility in the state.