Hijab Row Live Updates: High Court Hearing Today As Karnataka Schools Reopen

Hijab Row: Before Karnataka schools reopened today, police on Sunday undertook a route march in Shivamogga as a precautionary measure amid the ongoing hijab controversy in the state.

Karnataka schools (up to Class 10) re-opened today amid controversy over the state barring Muslim students from wearing a hijab during classes. Classes 11 and 12 are closed till Wednesday. Petitions against the ban are being heard by the High Court.

Ahead of today's classes, orders banning large gatherings were announced in districts that witnessed tense stand-offs between students protesting for the right to wear the hijab and those opposed, who included people from right-wing outfits brandishing saffron shawls and scarves.

In Mangaluru, prohibitory orders under Section 144 are in place for 200 metres around all high schools in city limits. In Udupi district - where the protests first began - assemblies of five or more people near schools have been banned, as have gatherings like rallies or the shouting of slogans.

On Sunday, police in Shivamogga took out a flag march and banned gatherings on or around high school premises. Last week a frenzied mob waving saffron scarves cheered and chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' as one individual climbed a pole in a local college to run up a saffron-coloured flag.