Some schools reopened in the Indian state of Karnataka on Monday after closing last week when protests erupted over students being barred from wearing the hijab in class.
The issue, widely seen by India’s Muslim minority community as a bid to sideline it by authorities in a Hindu-dominated nation, comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepares for elections in key states.
Police stood guard as students in pink uniforms, about a dozen wearing the hijab, entered a government girl’s school where the issue first flared in the southern Indian state’s district of Udupi, about 400 km (250 miles) from the tech hub of Bengaluru.
Authorities have also banned gatherings of more than five people within 200 meters of educational institutions in the area, as classes from primary to high school began. Colleges remain shut.
Last week some schools refused entry to girls and women wearing the hijab, citing a Feb. 5 order on uniforms by the state, ruled by Modi’s party.
Muslim students and parents protested the move, drawing counter-protests from Hindu students who wore saffron shawls and shouted slogans.
Modi’s party derives its support mainly from the majority Hindu community, which makes up about 80 percent of India’s population of roughly 1.4 billion, while Muslims account for about 13 percent.
The issue, widely seen by India’s Muslim minority community as a bid to sideline it by authorities in a Hindu-dominated nation, comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepares for elections in key states.
Police stood guard as students in pink uniforms, about a dozen wearing the hijab, entered a government girl’s school where the issue first flared in the southern Indian state’s district of Udupi, about 400 km (250 miles) from the tech hub of Bengaluru.
Authorities have also banned gatherings of more than five people within 200 meters of educational institutions in the area, as classes from primary to high school began. Colleges remain shut.
Last week some schools refused entry to girls and women wearing the hijab, citing a Feb. 5 order on uniforms by the state, ruled by Modi’s party.
Muslim students and parents protested the move, drawing counter-protests from Hindu students who wore saffron shawls and shouted slogans.
Modi’s party derives its support mainly from the majority Hindu community, which makes up about 80 percent of India’s population of roughly 1.4 billion, while Muslims account for about 13 percent.
