Karnataka govt restricts hijab in minority institutions

Bengaluru: Adhering to Karnataka High Court's interim order, the state government has issued a circular disallowing wearing of hijab in government-run minority institutions.

The circular has been issued after considering incidents of women students attending classes wearing hijab and staging protests, demanding educational institutions to allow them to wear headscarves in classrooms across the state. The circular is in consonance with Karnataka High Court's interim order.

It applies to residential schools run by the Minority Welfare Department and Moulana Azad English Model Schools, Secretary for Minority Welfare, Haj and Wakf Department Major P Manivannan said.

"We request the state government and all their stakeholders to reopen the educational institutions and allow the students to return to the classes at the earliest. Pending consideration of all these petitions, we restrain all the students regardless of their religion or faith from wearing saffron shawls (Bhagwa), scarfs, hijab, religious flags or the like within the classroom, until further orders," the circular mentioned.

"We make it very clear that this order is confined to such institutions wherein the college Development Committees have prescribed the student dress/uniform," it added.

The full bench of the Court had issued the interim order directing students to return to classes and stay away from insisting on wearing religious attire till the matter is pending before the court. (UNI)