India’s tech hub Bangalore banned protests around schools and other educational institutions for two weeks Wednesday, a day after all high schools in Karnataka state were shut as a row over an Islamic headscarf ban intensified.
Muslim students and community members have mounted protests across the southern state since a government-run high school last month told girls to not wear hijabs in class — an edict that soon spread to other institutions — triggering counter-demonstrations in turn.
Footage has gone viral of one hijab-wearing student being pursued by Hindu men yelling “Jai Shri Ram” (Hail Lord Ram) as she arrives at PES College in Mandya, and shouting “Allah-u Akbar” in response.
Many from India’s 200 million strong minority Muslim community see the latest stand-off as part of a larger trend of persecution under Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government.
“Restricting these girls to exercise their right to freedom of religion is against the fundamental rights that are guaranteed under the constitution and forc-ing the students to remove hijab is denying them the dignity that is also a constitutional right,” said Su-mayya Roushan, President of the Girls Islamic Or-ganisation in Karnataka.
“Moreover, here the right to education of the students is at stake. “ Bangalore police commis-sioner Kamal Pant issued an order restricting pro-tests around educational institutions in the state capital for two weeks as protests elsewhere “have led to violence, disturbing public peace and order.” A judge at Karnataka’s top court began hearing a petition challenging the legality of the headscarf ban Tuesday, but on Wednesday passed it to a larger panel to consider.—APP
