Several students, teachers come to school with headscarf; told to remove it

NT Correspondent

Defying oral instructions issued by a three- judge bench of the Karnataka High Court last week against attending schools/ colleges wearing hijab and saffron shawls, several students and a few teachers came to school with the headscarf on Monday.

However, the students removed the headscarf after the police explained to them the court’s instruction. The teachers also removed the hijab at the school entrance and took classes.

On Friday, the state government had decided to reopen schools (upto tenth standard) from February 14 (Monday) amid tight police protection. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had chaired a meeting last week to discuss the course of action which was attended by Primary & Secondary Education Minister B.C. Nagesh, Higher Education Minister Dr C.N. Ashwath Narayana and Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, along with top officials of various departments.

The CM had asked the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of each district to personally visit schools situated in sensitive and hypersensitive districts and convince students not to defy the court’s instruction. They were asked to interact with parents, teachers, religious leaders and SDMC members on the day of reopening of schools.

The incidents of students and teachers wearing the headscarf were reported in Bengaluru Urban, Mysuru, Yadgir, Koppal, Belagavi, Mandya, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Chamarajanagar, Bagalkot, Vijayapura and other districts. In some places, headscarf wearing teachers and students removed it after the school management and education department officials requested them to adhere with the high court instructions. But in a few schools, the students refused to do so.

A few students in Bidar wrote the examination with the hijab despite an appeal by the district administration to remove it.