India: Muslim Leaders Call for Karnataka's Shutdown Over High Court Verdict - Video

On Tuesday, India's Karnataka High Court upheld the state government's ban on wearing hijabs in educational institutions, claiming that wearing the Muslim headscarf is "not essential religious practice in Islam". However, many Muslim organisations have expressed displeasure with the court's decision.

Muslim religious leaders have given a call to observe a statewide shutdown in India's Karnataka on Thursday in protest against the High Court's verdict on Hijabs for students.

Many videos of shutdowns in the state, shared by netizens, show people in many districts abiding by the shutdown call.

10. #Bangalore shops and establishment were shut in Shivajinagar supporting #KarnatakaBandh called by several muslim organization & ulemas. pic.twitter.com/m8K7NwQ4oB

— Syed Mueen (@Mueen_magadi) March 17, 2022

Shimoga District #KarnatakaBandh
pic.twitter.com/DGS0RgT6Zg

— Maheboob Bagwan (@Maheboobbagwa1) March 17, 2022

Meat and fish shops owned by Muslims in Ganeshpet area of #Hubballi were closed in protest against #HijabBan order #KarnatakaBandh Video @HemanthTnie @santwana99 @NewIndianXpress @XpressBengaluru @KannadaPrabha @karnatakacom @Hubballi_Infra @HubliCityeGroup @hublimandi pic.twitter.com/DDdKyHkIUm

— Amit Upadhye (@Amitsen_TNIE) March 17, 2022

Meanwhile, Karnataka's main opposition party Congress has decided to take a neutral stance on the controversy.

Congress legislators will also meet Muslim religious leaders later in the day to hold discussions on the matter. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) presently rules the state.

Meanwhile, in a controversial remark, a senior BJP politician and Vice-President of Udupi Government Pre-University College Development Committee Yashpal Suvarna said the student girls who had approached the Karnataka High Court to oppose the hijab ban, were "anti-national" and "members of a terrorist organisation".

However, the BJP's state politicians and official spokespersons have distanced themselves from Suvarna's comments and refused to make any further remark on it.

The controversy originated months ago when some Hijab-clad Muslim students were barred from entering their classroom at a government college in Udupi District. They protested, but the college didn't relent, and the matter ended up in court.

On Tuesday, Karnataka High Court upheld the state government's directives of banning Hijabs in classrooms.In the latest development, the students have now moved to the Supreme Court of India.

Meanwhile, many Muslim leaders, including Parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi have expressed their disappointment over the Karnataka High Court verdict.