Muslim students turned away from colleges in India's Karnataka state for insisting on wearing hijab

Several colleges in a southern Indian state on Wednesday sent away female students who insisted on wearing the hijab or headscarf to classrooms, triggering protests in places.

Many hijab-clad students in Karnataka state's Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Shivamogga and other districts were denied entry by the management of the colleges, the PTI news agency reported.

College principals and management told reporters that they were following interim orders of the state high court that allowed schools and colleges to resume only on the condition that no religious clothing would be allowed in classrooms.

Some students however said the college did not inform them that they would not be allowed in hijabs and held protests when they were sent back.

The students called the move unfair, adding they had always attended classes wearing the hijab.

Educational instituations reopened earlier this week after they were closed last week following protests by Muslim students against the ban and by Hindu students and right-wing activitists supporting it, including stone-throwing, arson and baton-charges by policemen in several towns.

On Monday, students at some schools were directed to remove hijabs before entering schools and the videos sparked an outcry on Indian social media space.

The controversy escalated after a group of hijab-wearing students were barred from entering a college in the Udupi district in December. They approached the Karnataka High Court that gave an interim ruling last week even as it hears the matter.

Muslims form about 14 per cent of the 1.3-billion Hindu-majority population. The Karnataka and federal government is run by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).