Indian Muslim students wearing hijabs barred from entering colleges

Dozens of young women wearing hijabs were turned away by authorities in Karnataka state

Dozens of female Muslim students wearing hijabs were turned away by authorities in India's southern Karnataka state after colleges reopened on Wednesday amid heightened tension over the traditional Muslim headscarf.

Schools and colleges were closed across the state last week amid fears of violence after the government banned Muslim women students from wearing headscarves in class.

The state government imposed prohibitory orders around colleges after street protests by students affiliated with right-wing Hindu groups fuelled fears of a sectarian conflagration in the communally sensitive state.

But as educational institutions reopened on Wednesday, more than 30 students were barred from pre-university government colleges for breaching a temporary ban on the hijab by the state’s High Court.

Videos broadcast on television channels showed dozens of female students arguing with college authorities after they were asked to remove their headscarves to attend class.

Similar scenes were witnessed on Monday when schools across the state reopened, with several Muslim pupils choosing to return home after being denied entry.

Karnataka's High Court last week imposed a temporary ban on the wearing of religious clothing in schools and colleges after it began hearing several petitions challenging the government prohibition on the hijab.

A court hearing has been under way since last Thursday after a group of aggrieved Muslim students said the court order breached their rights.

The court order came after hundreds of Hindu students came wearing saffron scarves — a colour associated with right-wing Hindu groups — to colleges to protest against hijab-wearing female Muslim students.

The temporary ban will stand until the court gives its final judgment in the matter later this month.