Hijab Row: Karnataka Government Bans Protest Near Schools, Colleges For Two Weeks

The Karnataka government has banned student protest near schools and colleges in Bengaluru for the next 2 weeks amid the Udupi Hijab Row. The government had earlier declared schools to be closed for 3 days in order to maintain 'peace and harmony'.

Student's protests in various parts of Karnataka have picked up steam as the matter over not allowing hijab in schools is aggravating with every passing day. In an attempt to maintain the 'peace and harmony' among the people, on February 8, CM Bommai tweeted that the schools will remain closed for next three days, i.e., from February 9 to February 11. Now the government has decided to ban any type of protest or demonstration near schools and colleges in Bengaluru.

Karnataka Government Bans Protest For Next Two Weeks In Bengaluru

The government declared on February 9, 2022 that they have decided to ban any type of student's protest within 200 metres radius of any educational institute in Bengaluru. The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting that was held on Wednesday regarding the violence that occurred during student's protest in some parts of the state.

J.C. Madhuswamy, Karnataka's Law, Parliamentary Affairs And Legislation Minister talked about the cabinet's decision and said, "We (at the cabinet) discussed the Hijab row, but as the High Court is hearing the matter, we felt it is not appropriate for the cabinet to take any further decisions on the issue today. It was decided to wait for the court's verdict before taking any decision."

The order issued on the ban of student's protests talked about the cases where student's protests, regarding the denial of entry in college and schools wearing a hijab, got violent and even led to stone-pelting. These incidents were said to affect the peace of the public and seeing the agitation of students in Bengaluru, the government saw a possibility of such demonstration in the city as well. Hence, in order to safeguard public peace, the government banned protests for 2 weeks in Bengaluru.

The order also said that if any individual feels affected by the order in any way, they can request for modification or cancellation of it the Karnataka government office or the office that issued the order. Meanwhile, Karnataka High Court has decided to refer the student's petition, that were filed in the HC, to a higher bench.

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