Four years after Karnataka’s hijab row triggered protests, court battles and national political fights, the issue is back in the spotlight again. The Congress government in the state has officially withdrawn the February 2022 order brought in by the then BJP government that had effectively banned hijabs inside classrooms. In its place, the state has now allowed students to wear “limited traditional and faith-based symbols” along with prescribed uniforms.The move has reopened an old political and ideological battle in Karnataka. BJP hit back sharply, accusing the Siddaramaiah government of bringing religion back into classrooms under the guise of inclusivity. BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya alleged that the Congress government had “surreptitiously” diluted the uniform policy and called it “the institutionalisation of religious identity in classrooms”.“Uniform means uniform. Classrooms are for education, not religious signalling,” Malviya said, accusing Congress of “vote-bank politics” and appeasement.The Congress government defended the decision by saying education should not suffer because of religious identity or traditional practices. Karnataka minister Madhu Bangarappa said, “Religious practices shouldn’t come in between students’ education and future. Our constitution allows all religions.”The fresh order, which came into effect immediately, allows students to wear items such as headscarves, turbans, sacred threads, Rudraksha beads and Shiva beads, as long as they do not disturb discipline, safety or student identification. The government has also made it clear that no student can be denied entry to classrooms, exams or academic activities for wearing such symbols with the uniform.The decision comes weeks after an April 24 incident in which a student’s sacred thread was allegedly cut inside a school.
