A disagreement over limits on female students wearing the hijab in a southern Indian state has now spread to India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, with a group of students requesting that a college ban the head covering.
Authorities in Karnataka, India's southern state, halted institutions last week after a new uniform code prohibited students from wearing headscarves in class, sparking Muslim rallies and Hindu counter-protests. Muslims have denounced the prohibition as just another attempt to marginalise a community that makes up around 13% of India's 1.35 billion population.
On Monday, a group of more than two dozen young men from Uttar Pradesh, which borders New Delhi, arrived at the Dharma Samaj College in Aligarh area and handed over a memorandum to its officials demanding a complete ban on the hijab within its premises. They were wearing saffron shawls around their necks, which are normally worn by Hindus, according to Mukesh Bharadwaj, the college's top proctor, who added that he didn't identify the folks. Religious attire is currently prohibited in classes, however it is permitted elsewhere on campus.
'Allow wearing uniform coloured hijab..,' said Muslim girl students in Karnataka HC
