Hijab row: all schools and colleges in Karnataka shut for 3 days as protests spread

All schools and colleges in Karnataka have been shut for three days amid protests by rightwing groups against Muslim women wearing headscraves and hijab to colleges.

Chief Minister BS Bommai tweeted he has ordered all high schools and colleges to remain shut "to maintain peace and harmony".

Hijab protests started last month in Udupi and have now spread to several towns of Karnataka. Incidents of stone pelting and use of force by police were reported from several colleges on Tuesday. At several places there violent confrontations between the pro and anti-hijab protesters.

The Karnataka High Court is hearing a plea by some Muslim girl students from an Udupi college on their right to wear a headcraf.

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As the hijab row evoked mixed reactions in Karnataka and elsewhere in the country, visuals of a group of boys with saffron scarves heckling a hijab-clad girl in Mandya, near Bengaluru, went viral.

Tension prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga and Bagalkote, forcing the police and authorities to intervene.

Noting that religious forces behind such incidents have to be checked and everyone should think about the country, state Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said in a video message, "we should all stand together as brothers, as the children of this country. Uniform is a sign of equality. Educational institutions are not the place for practising our religion or to showcase our costumes."