Hijab ban to be lifted in Karnataka, what to wear personal choice: Siddaramaiah

Siddaramaiah said what one should wear, eat is personal choice. "I wear Dhoti and you wear shirt with pants. What is wrong with that?” the CM said.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah announced that there will be no ban on hijab in the educational institutions of the state. He said that a direction has been given to the officials and the government order will come soon.

Ban on Hijab will be lifted in Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah

Speaking at an event, Siddaramaiah said, “We will be withdrawing the ban on hijab which was imposed by the previous BJP government. An official order will come soon regarding it.”

Siddaramaih said that it is a personal choice to wear the kind of dress one wants to wear. “What to wear and what to eat is a personal choice. Why should government obstruct such issues? Wear what you want and eat what you feel like. I wear Dhoti and you wear shirt with pants. What is wrong with that?” asked the chief minister.

The hijab controversy first erupted in January last year when six students of the Government Pre-University (PU) College in Udupi accused the institute’s administration of not allowing them to enter the premises with their hijab on. The Muslim girls protested outside the institute after being denied entry.

In response, several Hindu students started attending classes wearing saffron shawls in several educational institutions.

On March 15 last year, the Karnataka high court declared that wearing the hijab was not mandatory in Islam and upheld the executive order. The students moved the Supreme Court, which split a verdict on the issue. The matter is slated to be heard by a larger bench.