SCHOOLS reopened in southern India under tight security on Wednesday (16) with public gatherings banned following protests over Muslim girls wearing the hijab in classrooms.
Tensions have been high in Karnataka state since late last year when at least four schoolgirls were prevented from wearing the Muslim headscarf, sparking protests that have since spread across India.
In an attempt to calm tensions, Karnataka's state government temporarily closed schools last week.
This came as the Karnataka High Court imposed a temporary ban on the wearing of all religious symbols in schools while it considers the headscarf ban.
As classrooms reopened in the state on Tuesday and Wednesday, police with batons were deployed outside several schools.
Authorities also imposed Section 144 -- a law that prohibits gatherings of more than four people -- in several districts.
There were no reports of disturbances but local media on Monday (14) said several Muslim girls chose not to attend classes or sit exams when asked to remove their headscarves.
"We have grown up wearing the hijab since our childhood and we cannot give it up. I will not write the exam, I will go home," the News Minute media outlet quoted a young girl as saying.
"Hindu students wear vermilion... Christian students wear a rosary, what is wrong if our children wear the hijab?" a parent told broadcaster NDTV.
Nasir Sharif, 43, said his 15-year-old daughter was told to take off her hijab at the school gates on Wednesday in Chikmagalur district. He persuaded school authorities to allow her to remove it only in class.
"My daughter has been wearing the hijab since she was five years old. It is to protect her dignity. What they are asking us to do is humiliating," said Sharif.
A video on social media that could not be independently verified showed around a dozen girls in burqas shouting, "We want justice! Allahu Akbar (God is most great)", after being prevented from entering class.
The row has heightened fears among Muslims in India, with many saying they feel under attack by the government of Hindu-nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi.
Rashad Hussain, US ambassador at large for international religious freedom, tweeted last week that hijab bans in schools "violate religious freedom and stigmatise and marginalise women and girls".
The Indian government said in a statement that people "who know India well would have a proper appreciation of these realities".
"Motivated comments on our internal issues are not welcome," it added.
(AFP)
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)