Muslim women hold placards during a demonstration after educational institutes in Karnataka denied entry to students for wearing hijabs, in Bangalore on February 7, 2022. PHOTO: Manjunath Kiran / AFPA ban on Islamic headscarves at schools has prompted an outcry among Muslims in southern India, with large crowds taking to the streets on Monday to protest against the restrictions.
Students at a government-run high school were told not to wear hijabs last month, an edict that soon spread to at least two other educational institutions in the state. Muslim women hold placards during a demonstration after educational institutes in Karnataka denied entry to students for wearing hijabs, in Bangalore on February 7, 2022. PHOTO: Manjunath Kiran / AFPRoushan said the ban violated “a personal choice that the students are entitled to, which doesn’t… harm any other person”.
One of the schools has since partially yielded, allowing its female Muslim students to attend class with a hijab but instructing them to sit in separate classrooms, according to local media.Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party governs Karnataka state and several prominent members have thrown their support behind the ban, which has been criticised by other political leaders.