After over a week of the closure of schools and colleges in the state, the government of Karnataka decided to reopen the schools and colleges from today, February 16, in the midst of the current hijab controversy surrounding the dress code rule.

The schools and colleges in Karnataka have been reopened in a phased manner, with the schools up to Class 10 reopening earlier this week, and the schools for Classes 11 and 12, as well as colleges and universities, reopening from February 16.

This comes after the Karnataka High Court permitted the reopening of educational institutes in the state, asking all the students to not wear any religious symbols and attire inside the campus to avoid any conflicts and adhere to the dress code.

Meanwhile, the matter of the hijab row is currently being heard in the Karnataka High Court as petitioners against the hijab ban requested the HC to revoke the dress code rule, as it can hamper the right to education for Muslim girls in the state.

On Tuesday, reports came of several students from across Karnataka skipping out on their classes and exams as a form of protest after they were denied entry inside the schools since they were wearing a hijab. Videos of teachers asking students to remove their hijabs also surfaced after schools reopened on Monday.

Just a day ahead of the reopening of colleges, the Karnataka government decided to impose Section 144 of CrPC in as many as nine districts to make sure that the security of the state is not compromised, and protests don’t erupt outside of educational institutes.

The tensions in Karnataka began when several Hindu students wore saffron scarves as a form of protest against Muslim girls wearing hijabs inside classrooms despite the dress code. After this, several universities and schools barred the entry of hijab-wearing students inside the school premises.

The hijab ban soon sparked a political debate in Karnataka, with reactions from several political leaders in the middle of the controversy. While BJP backed the state’s decision of dress code rule, opposition parties like Congress spoke out against the ban of hijabs from campus, saying that it will hamper the right to education of Muslim girls.

(With inputs from agencies)