Karnataka scraps BJP govt’s hijab ban in educational institutions
New Delhi: The Congress government in Karnataka has revoked the BJP’s February 2022 order that allowed schools and colleges to bar hijabs in classrooms, permitting “limited traditional and practice-based symbols” with school uniforms.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the new directive applies to all government, aided, and private institutions under the School Education Department. It allows hijabs, sacred threads, rudraksha, shivadhara, and sharavastra to be worn as supplementary items, provided they do not affect discipline, safety, cleanliness, or identification.
No student can be denied entry or forced to wear or remove such symbols. School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa said the policy aligns with constitutional values of equality, dignity, fraternity, secularism, and the right to education.
The ban had sparked widespread protests after Muslim girls were stopped from attending classes in Udupi in December 2021. The Karnataka High Court upheld the ban in March 2022, while the Supreme Court later delivered a split verdict.
