Why Siddaramaiah government’s reversal of school hijab ban touches off a storm

The Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has however strongly defended the move, saying it is meant to protect the “tradition and culture-based symbols” of all communities, not only Muslims.

In February 2022, the then Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government had issued the order stipulating that students must stick to the uniform prescribed by schools and PU (pre-university) colleges, triggering protests across the state and stoking communal tensions, especially in coastal Karnataka, where the issue had first erupted in December 2021.

Following the BJP government’s order, issued weeks ahead of then annual exams, several Muslim girls wearing hijab were stopped from attending their classes. Subsequently, many Muslim girls had reportedly discontinued their schooling or were forced to enrol themselves in educational institutions that permitted hijab.

Hearing the matter, the Karnataka High Court had upheld the state government’s order, ruling that wearing hijab was not part of essential religious practice in Islam. This was challenged in the Supreme Court. In October 2022, the apex court delivered a split verdict and referred the case to a larger bench.

The Siddaramaiah government’s order, issued Wednesday, allows students to “wear tradition and culture based symbols commonly worn by students, such as peta/turban, janivara/holy thread, Shivadara, Rudraksha, headscarf/hijab” or any such similar symbols associated with culture and tradition. “These should not be a deterrent for the discipline, safety and identity of the student,” the order states.

Political slugfest

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Prahlad Joshi, the Dharwad MP, slammed the Congress government’s decision, saying it was “unfortunate” that it has taken the call when the issue has been pending before the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.
“When Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is being implemented across the country, Karnataka has adopted the policy of divide and rule… To appease one particular group, the education system is being spoiled,” he charged.

Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra asked the Siddaramaiah government to immediately withdraw the order, warning that it will be responsible for consequences. School uniform, he said, was a symbol of equality. “Rather than instilling the feeling of ‘we are all one’ among students, to appease its vote bank, the corrupt Congress government is trying its hands at communal division at school premises,” he alleged.

JD(S) leader and Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries, H D Kumaraswamy, linked the government’s order to the results of the recent Davangere South by-election, claiming that the Congress feared that Muslim voters were turning away from it.

Referring to an incident reported in April, when a PU student in Bengaluru belonging to the Brahmin community was asked to remove his janivara (sacred thread) before attending an entrance exam, Kumaraswamy said the government has used it to issue revised guidelines for school uniforms. “I don’t know whether the Supreme Court has vacated the case. I am surprised that the government has announced it… What were they doing for three years? Post Davanagere results, they have done this,” he said.

Bypoll row

In the April by-election to the Davanagere South seat, while the Congress retained its seat

by winning it by about 5,700 votes, its margin was a sharp plunge from about 27,900 votes in 2023. A section of Muslims, who account for over a third of the constituency’s voters, were apparently upset that a member of the community was not fielded in the bypoll. A rebellion ensued among some Muslim leaders, resulting in the suspension of MLC Abdul Jabbar from the party and removal of another MLC Naseer Ahmed from his cabinet rank as the CM’s political secretary.

The Federation of Karnataka Muslim Organisations is also going to hold a rally in Bengaluru on May 16, where it would release a report on the state of Muslims during the Congress’s three-year rule. Among the key issues being raised by the Federation was one pertaining to the “delay” in lifting the hijab ban in schools.

Speaking to The Indian Express, a Muslim leader from the Congress claimed that School, Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa being flanked by Health and Family Welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and MLA Rizwan Arshad at the press conference to announce the new uniform order indicated that the decision was aimed at assuaging the concerns of the Muslim community.

“There were some concerns over the fallout of the Davanagere South bypoll, as SDPI (a Muslim outfit) gained the votes and reduced our margin. The decision will send a message that the government is not ignoring the community,” he said.

Arshad, however, dismissed claims that the order was linked to the bypoll or stemmed from any fears of the Federation’s rally.

Noting that revoking the decision was part of the Congress’s manifesto pledges for the 2023 elections, Arshad told The Indian Express that it was delayed as “Hijab was a decision which was a little complicated and had to be taken delicately.” After multiple consultations, the CM reviewed the entire issue and solved it, he said.

The lower margin of the Congress’s victory in Davanagere South was not new, Arshad said, noting that Muslim candidates from other parties had polled well in previous elections too. “Even during this bypoll, 70% of Muslims voted for Congress,” he claimed.

Siddaramaiah’s stand

The CM has strongly defended the decision, saying “This is not a dress code intended to appease or hurt anyone; it is a dress code that respects the practices and traditions of all castes and religions.”

The dress code implemented in state educational institutions is in line with the dress code followed in Kendriya Vidyalayas under the Central government, he said, asking “If allowing the hijab is considered appeasement of Muslims, then is allowing the wearing of the sacred thread or turban also appeasement of those respective religions?”

Siddaramaiah alleged that when sacred threads were removed in some places, or when Muslim girl students wore hijabs in a few schools in Udupi, the BJP leaders attempted to ignite communal hatred across the state. “Do they not see the tears of students crying due to the cancellation of the recent NEET examination (following alleged paper leak)?” he added.