Protests in India over barring students from wearing hijab

dpa New Delhi A southern Indian state closed all educational institutions for three days beginning on Wednesday, as protests and violence escalated over t...

dpa New DelhiA southern Indian state closed all educational institutions for three days beginning on Wednesday, as protests and violence escalated over the decision of some colleges to bar female students from wearing the hijab or headscarf in classrooms.Protests by the Muslim students against the ban and by Hindu students and right-wing activists supporting it, included stone-throwing, arson and baton charges by policemen in several towns in Karnataka state on Tuesday, NDTV news channel reported.There were a host of reactions on social media as well with Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai who tweeted her support for the young women.“Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists - for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalisation of Muslim women,” Yousafzai wrote.The controversy escalated after a video showing a group of hijab-clad students being stopped from entering a college in Udipi district.Their protest went viral last week.Some colleges in nearby districts also decided to ban the hijab in class, NDTV reported.The Karnataka High Court, which is hearing pleas by the young women against the college’s decision, on Wednesday suggested a larger bench should hear the case as it raised serious constitutional questions, NDTV reported.One of the petitions questions the legality of a recent state government dress code for educational institutions that does not allow headscarves and hijabs.The Karnataka and federal government is run by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).