Hijab row: Bengaluru police bans gatherings, protests near educational institutes for 2 weeks

The row erupted in January after an Udupi college barred hijab-clad girls from entering the classroom (Image: AP)

After parallel pro and anti-hijab protests were witnessed in several parts of Karnataka, the Bengaluru police on February 9 announced a ban on all kinds of gatherings and demonstrations close to educational institutions for the next two weeks.

As per the order issued by Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant, "prohibitory orders" will remain in force in the radius of 200 metres around all schools and colleges in the city. "The order will be in force for two weeks starting today," it said.

As per the prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of CrPC, any gathering of five or more persons remain barred, and will draw penal action.

The Bengaluru police's order comes a day after Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced the closure of all high schools and colleges in the state till February 12.

"I appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges as well as people of Karnataka to maintain peace and harmony. I have ordered closure of all high schools and colleges for next three days. All concerned are requested to cooperate," Bommai tweeted on February 8.

Earlier, the chief minister had said that the state government would adhere to the decision of Karnataka High Court, which will decide on the use of hijab inside the classrooms.

The high court is hearing a plea filed by five Muslim girls of Udupi district, who were barred last month from entering the classroom in Government Pre-University College for wearing hijab.

Hijab - a head-covering used by Muslim women - is part of the essential practices under Islam and therefore, its use is protected under Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, the counsel representing the girls argued before the court on February 8.

Notably, the controversy over the use of hijab was triggered after the Udupi-based college had barred these students from entering the classroom with their hijabs.

Even though the college is only for female students, some of the professors teaching them are male, and therefore, they should be allowed to use the hijab in the classrooms as well, said one of the girls, who was barred from entering the classes, while speaking to reporters last month.

As the aggrieved students began camping outside colleges to protest against the order on hijab, counter demonstrations erupted, with right-wing groups distributing saffron shawls among students of the Hindu community.

The events prompted the state's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled government to ban clothes which it said "disturb equality, integrity and public order", and some high schools had already declared a holiday to avoid communal trouble.

The Congress, the state's prime Opposition party, has accused the BJP-led government of provoking religious sentiments.

"The Constitution allows everyone to follow their religion," Congress state unit chief DK Shivakumar told reporters on February 8, adding that the entire controversy is a "big conspiracy". "Instead of creating jobs and reviving the state's economy, they want to create an unnecessary controversy by provoking sentiments," he said.

Earlier, former Congress' national president Rahul Gandhi had expressed support for the students who were denied entry in classrooms due to the use of hijab. "By letting students’ hijab come in the way of their education, we are robbing the future of the daughters of India," he said on February 5.

Other political parties have also slammed the ruling BJP over the controversy. "The country is heading towards a civil war under PM Modi's rule. They are not talking about inflation, poverty but about Ayodhya and Varanasi," Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav said on February 9, on being asked by news agency ANI to comment on the hijab row in Karnataka.