The Karnataka High Court on Friday ordered that students should not wear hijab, saffron shawls or use any religious flags while attending classes in Karnataka colleges which have a specific prescribed uniform, till the court decides the case relating to ban on hijab. In December Udipi’s Kundapur PU college issued a circular- banning students from wearing hijabs in classrooms claiming it was to ensure uniformity in classrooms.

This decision led to uproar, with some students not being allowed to enter classrooms by college staff and fellow students. Escalating the matter further some students from the other community started wearing saffron scarves to college in protest against the hijab-wearing Muslim students.

After a violent clash between police and students in Bengaluru, the state govt has issued an order imposing a ban on the wearing of clothes that tend to disturb equality, integrity, and public order and imposed section 144 in select districts.

The row has also taken a political colour as the ruling BJP stood strongly in support of uniform-related rules being enforced by educational institutions, calling the headscarf, a religious symbol, while the opposition Congress has come out in support of Muslim girls.