New Delhi: The controversy that made rounds in Karnataka it has now intensified with students defying the government order to use uniform clothing to maintain “unity and equality”.
Ahead of the High Court hearing on the row, Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai and appealed everyone to maintain peace. “The matter is before the High Court and it will be decided there… I appeal to everyone to maintain peace… All should follow the state’s order (on uniform) until the court decides,” he said.
The Court has decided to hear the petition of the five girls questioning the restriction on wearing hijab today.
Ahead of the court hearing massive crowd of students started protesting where one group started wearing head scarves and group of boys waving saffron scarf gathered outside a college in Karnataka this morning.
As two groups stood at the gates of the MGM college in Udupi, a large number of policemen were called in to control the chaos.
Students wearing saffron scarves and headgears were allowed to enter the college as young women in the hijab stayed outside the gates, protesting what they alleged was discrimination.
The controversy started last month at the Government Girls PU college in Udupi district as six students alleged that they had been barred from classes for wearing headscarf and many Muslim girls took up the practice in protest.
Right-wing groups in Udupi and Chikkamagaluru objected to headscarves and the protests spread across the state. In retaliation, many students turned up in saffron scarves. Dalit students adopted blue scarves in support of hijab-wearing girls.
Two colleges declared holiday to avoid communal trouble. Another college allowed students wearing the hijab in separate classrooms.
Education Minister BC Nagesh has said students who insist on wearing hijab (head scarves) not be allowed into government educational institutions. He also ordered that women protesters be confined to a separate room of the colleges.
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