Outrage in India after Hijab-Wearing Woman Heckled

Authorities in India's southern Karnataka State have ordered schools and colleges to shut as protests intensified over a ban on Islamic headscarves that has outraged Muslim students, a report by Press TV has said.

The state's chief minister Basavaraj Bommai announced on Tuesday that all high schools in the state would be closed for three days. He also appealed for calm.

Protests erupted in response to some schools refusing entry to students wearing the hijab (Islamic veil). Fresh demonstrations on Tuesday saw officers fire tear gas to disperse a crowd at one government-run campus in the region.

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 tensions and confrontations over the past few days.

Muslim female students say that wearing the hijab is a fundamental right to religion guaranteed by the constitution.

Karnataka’s top court began hearing a petition challenging the legality of the ban on Tuesday. While no final order was passed, the judge appealed for peace and calm, and the court will continue hearing the petition on Wednesday.