The hijab row in Karnataka has reached a new height, with students protesting amid the ban on hijabs in schools and colleges. As the colleges in the state are set to reopen from tomorrow, the state government has decided to put some security measures in place.
As a preemptive measure, the Karnataka government has decided to impose Section 144 in several districts across the state to make sure that no protests erupt as the colleges and schools for senior students reopen from tomorrow, February 16.
Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed in Karnataka's Tumakuru district from 6 am on February 16, just one day ahead of the reopening of colleges. Before this, Section 144 was imposed in eight other districts which were Udipi, Bagalkot, Bengaluru, Chikkaballapura, Gadag, Shimoga, Mysore, and Dakshina Kannada.
Amid this, any kind of gatherings has been banned in these districts, including any rallies or protests, maintaining the decorum and safety of students on the first day of the reopening of educational institutes in Karnataka in the midst of the current controversy.
The colleges and schools in Karnataka were shut down by the state government amid the rising tensions surrounding the hijab ban and dress code rule in the educational institutes of the state, which sparked a lot of protests and demonstrations by the students.
The tensions in Karnataka began when several Hindu students wore saffron scarves as a form of protest against Muslim girls wearing hijabs inside classrooms despite the dress code. After this, several universities and schools barred the entry of hijab-wearing students inside the school premises.
The hijab ban soon sparked a political debate in Karnataka, with reactions from several political leaders in the middle of the controversy. While BJP backed the state’s decision of dress code rule, opposition parties like Congress spoke out against the ban of hijabs from campus, saying that it will hamper the right to education of Muslim girls.
The universities and schools for students of Classes 11 and 12 are set to reopen in Karnataka from tomorrow, February 16.
