Schools ordered shut in India as hijab ban protests intensify
Authorities in southern India ordered schools to shut as protests intensified over a ban on Islamic headscarves that has outraged Muslim students.
The stand-off in Karnataka state has galvanised fears among the minority community about what they say is increasing persecution under the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Fresh demonstrations on Tuesday saw officers fire tear gas to disperse a crowd at one government-run campus, while a heavy police presence was seen at schools in nearby towns.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai appealed for calm after announcing all high schools in the state would be closed for three days.
"I appeal to all the students, teachers and management of schools and colleges... to maintain peace and harmony," he said.
Students at a government-run high school were told not to wear hijabs 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 pupils that say their classmates have disrupted their education.
"All of a sudden they are saying you are not supposed to wear hijab... why did they start now?" said Ayesha, a teenage student at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College in the coastal city of Udupi.
Ayesha said a teacher had turned her away from her chemistry exam for wearing the garment.
"We are not against any religion. We are not protesting against anyone. It is just for our own rights," she said.
