Activists on social networking sites in India circulated video clips showing Muslim students and workers in a school in the southern state of Karnataka, forced to remove the hijab before entering the school.
The clips show a woman who appears to be a school official giving instructions to girls and parents.
Commenting on the clips, Indian activist and journalist Donita Jos said, “The school is forcing these people to take off their headscarves in the middle of the road. Why all this insult? We should not wait for any sympathy from the government, but isn’t there a part of dignity left for teachers and school management?”
Indian teacher and activist Katyusha said, “Forcing women and girls to remove a piece of their clothing in public is a violent crime, stop the systematic oppression of women in India.
Karnataka reopened some schools after they were closed after the outbreak of demonstrations last week in protest against the prohibition of female students from wearing the veil in classes.
The issue, which India’s Muslim minority is widely seen as an attempt to marginalize by the authorities in a Hindu-dominated country, has exploded at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing to contest elections in key states.
Karnataka is dominated by Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
