Karnataka hijab row: Pakistan flag in students' WhatsApp chat sparks protest

Karnataka hijab news: A Pakistani flag sticker sent by a student on a WhatsApp group to demand the right to wear a hijab in college has sparked a massive row.

Students in Karnataka’s Shivamogga staged protests on Tuesday after a college student allegedly shared the stickers of the Pakistani flag on a WhatsApp group. The student shared a sticker in the group with a message that read ‘hijab is our right’ a few days ago when the states witnessed violent protests over the hijab row.

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The Karnataka hijab row started on January 1 after the management of a government pre-university college in the coastal town of Udupi in Karnataka barred six Muslim girls from attending classes for wearing hijab as the dress was against prescribed norms of the college.

The issue later spiralled into a massive controversy with many Hindu college students sporting saffron scarves and waving saffron flags, demanding permission to display their religious attires and symbols if hijab is allowed in educational institutions.

The student’s messages on the WhatsApp group, which was purportedly meant for online classes, were met with strong opposition from the other students. One student, in fact, shared the Indian flag sticker to counter her.

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Soon, a protest, demanding her suspension, was staged in the district. The BCA student reportedly hails from Tarikere in the Chikkamagaluru district.