Karnataka bandh: mixed response in the state

Karnataka’s Muslim community called for a state-wide bandh on Thursday in protest of the high court’s ruling regarding the uniform policy in educational institutions.The bandh received a mixed response from various parts of the state, some taking it more seriously than others

Karnataka’s Muslim community called for a state-wide bandh on Thursday in protest of the Karnataka High Court’s ruling regarding the uniform policy in educational institutions.

Bengaluru's Shivajinagar sees some shops shut on account of a bandh called by Muslim bodies (ANI photo)

The ruling said that religious attires like hijab are not essential practices in Islam, dismissing all the petitions seeking direction to the government for allowing hijab inside classrooms.

The Amir-E-Shariat of Karnataka, Maulana Sagir Ahmad Khan Rashadi gave a call for a state-wide bandh on Thursday, which was supported by hundreds of organisations across the southern state.

More shops are shut as residents protest against HC ruling that said ‘Hijab is not an essential practice in Islam’ (ANI photo) (ANI)

Some shops were shut in Bengaluru’s Shivajinagar in support of the bandh, with one user sharing a video of the deserted commercial street on Twitter.

“Commercial Street after #KarnatakaBandh call given by various Muslim organizations to protest against the Karnataka High Court's verdict on #Hijab,” he wrote.

But there was little to no impact on daily trade and transactions as many businesses ran as per usual in the city.

However, the bandh received a slightly mixed response in Udupi, where the issue had first begun, while it got a more supportive stance from Mangaluru. Reportedly, many fish and vegetable traders, who are said to be Muslims, shut their shops in Mangaluru to support the bandh.

Other neighboring areas in Dakshina Kannada like Ullal and Kallapu also saw deserted streets and shut businesses.

The Supreme Court, meanwhile, said it will consider listing pleas demanding a change to the HC verdict after the Holi recess.

The state's High Court verdict on the hijab ban in colleges and schools will most likely be challenged based on grounds of lack of scrutiny of the Karnataka government’s order allowing colleges to restrict wearing a hijab, among others.