Four years after six hijab-donning students were stopped from entering their classroom in an Udupi pre-university—an event which quickly snowballed into the government banning hijab across educational institutions of Karnataka—hijabi students can once again enter their classes without any restriction.
The announcement came on 13 May, Wednesday, as the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state withdrew the 2022 order, brought in by the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government.
"Permissible traditional and faith-based symbols may include items commonly worn by students such as turban, janeu, shivadhara, rudraksha, hijab or similar forms. However, such items shall not affect discipline, safety or identification of students," the new order states.
In 2022, Karnataka saw widespread protests by hijabi students, demanding that their right to education not be throttled because of their hijab. Hijabi students, as well as teachers, faced harassment due to their hijab, including sometimes by their fellow classmates.
The Quint made a documentary centering the hijabi students at the peak of the protests.
“I can’t believe this. We waited so long for this moment,” said Shaheen, a 21 year-old from Shimoga. “Hijab is a part of my identity, and being able to finally study without making a compromise is a huge deal,” she added. Shimoga had witnessed violence during the protests.