India has ordered schools to close down for three days Tuesday after protests erupted over the ban on wearing the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, for female students, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The stand-off in Karnataka state has galvanized fears among India's 200-million Muslim community about increasing persecution under the Hindu extremist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Fresh demonstrations on Tuesday saw police firing tear gas to disperse a crowd at one government-run campus, while a heavy police presence was seen at schools in 22 districts.
Students at a government-run high school were told not to wear hijab last month, an edict that soon spread to other educational institutions in the state.
Campuses have seen escalating confrontations between Muslim students condemning the ban and Hindu students who are against hijab.
"We are not against any religion. We are not protesting against anyone. It is just for our own rights," Ayesha, a Muslim student told AFP. Ayesha said a teacher had turned her away from her chemistry exam for wearing hijab.
Hijab-wearing students in the state are facing challenges from Hindu extremists, the BJP-run state government and some college managements, The Wire said, adding: "Hindutva groups made Muslim students' head scarves an issue in several Karnataka colleges in recent days, and organized their members and sympathizers among the students against young Muslim women. Many colleges saw Hindu students coming to the classes wearing saffron shawls, a cloth they usually don't wear, 'to protest' the presence of Muslim female students in hijabs."
Karnatka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai issued the order on closure of schools and colleges but strongly defended the recent order of the government on dress code in colleges, meaning supported those who are against hijab.
Tellingly, Karnataka's High Court began hearing a petition challenging the legality of the ban on Tuesday but adjourned before issuing a ruling.
Modi's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governs the Karnataka state and several prominent members have thrown their support behind the ban.
Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah said restricting the Muslim female students' access to their classes is a violation of their fundamental rights. "This is an effort to prevent Muslim girls from getting educated. The head scarf is part of their religion... It is a violation of the fundamental rights of the students," Siddaramaiah said.
Several opposition parties, including Congress, Trinamool Congress, Left parties, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), recently came forward supporting the Muslim female students' demand.
Critics say Modi's election in 2014 emboldened hard-line groups who see India as a Hindu nation and are seeking to undermine its secular foundations at the expense of its 200-million-strong minority Muslim community, according to AFP.
India only 'partly free' under anti-Muslim Modi
Tellingly, the Freedom House last March downgraded India from free to partly free, voicing fear that the world's largest democracy was descending into authoritarianism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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