Students fighting for their right to wear the hijab boycotted classes and demanded online sessions as colleges reopened in Karnataka on Wednesday after a week’s break, which was prompted by violent protests against girls being allowed to wear the religious clothing to campuses.

The state government decided to allow colleges after schools resumed on Monday.

But at many colleges, students refused to remove their hijab and launched impromptu protests outside, seeking online classes until Karnataka High Court pronounces its verdict on a batch of petitions asking to be allowed to wear the headscarf in classrooms.

A three-judge bench of the court had in its interim order last week restrained students from wearing any religious attire to educational institutions pending consideration of the petitions.

Last week, thousands of students wearing saffron scarves disrupted classes with their protest against girls being allowed to wear the hijab.

Muslim girls marched shouting “We want justice”, in several districts on Wednesday after their colleges refused to allow them inside classrooms unless they took off their headscarves.
Mubeena, a student of Malnad Education Society college in Chikmagalur, told a news channel that they were demanding online classes.

“We were sitting inside the class when teachers forced us to leave the campus when we refused to remove the hijab. Aren’t we also students of this college? All we are asking is for them to conduct online classes until the court pronounces its verdict so that we don’t miss lessons ahead of our annual exams,” she said.

Several students from other colleges in the state echoed similar sentiments and urged the government to facilitate online classes.