Hijab row: Viral video of men with saffron scarves 'heckling' burqa-clad student

Hijab Row: The face-off in Karnataka over banning of hijab inside classrooms took a serious turn on February 8 after a woman student was reportedly heckled.

In videos going viral on social media, a group of boys wearing saffron scarves are seen heckling a student wearing a burqa. The incident reportedly took place at the pre-university college in Mandya. While the boys are heard shouting 'Jai Shri Ram', the woman shouts back 'Allahu Akbar' in the video.

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Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister announced the closure of all high schools and colleges for three days as the hijab issue intensified. Basavaraj Bommai appealed to all students, teachers, and institute management personnel to maintain peace and harmony.

This coincided with a hearing in the Karnataka High Court over a petition seeking the right to wear hijab inside classrooms. The court reportedly appealed to all parties concerned to maintain peace, while adjourning the hearing for February 9.

The storm reportedly erupted in January when some students at the Government Girls PU College in Udupi alleged that they were barred from classes for insisting to wear the Islamic headgear. Subsequently, similar incidents were reported from other institutes in Udupi and Chikkamagaluru.

Some students of another community also started wearing saffron scarves to class to counter the practice of wearing of hijab.

On February 5, the state government banned clothes which can "disturb equality, integrity, and public order" in schools and colleges.