Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clarified on Thursday that saffron shawls would not be allowed in educational institutions, amid the withdrawal of a February 2022 order by the then BJP government that effectively banned the hijab inside classrooms.Speaking to reporters in Mysore, Siddaramaiah said the state government’s order allowed students to practice existing religious practices but did not allow introduction of new ones within schools and colleges.“Saffron shawls are not allowed. Those shawls cannot be worn. Turbans, sacred thread, Shiva dhara, Rudraksh and hijab can also be worn,” he said.However, he said that only traditions that are already practiced will be allowed. “When we say turban, we mean the customs that already exist. Nothing new can be introduced,” he said.The statement came as some right-wing groups threatened to impose saffron shawls in classrooms and accused the Congress government of playing appeasement politics by allowing the hijab.BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya also alleged that the Congress government had “surreptitiously” undermined the uniform policy and termed it as “institutionalizing religious identity in classrooms”.“Uniforms mean uniforms. Classrooms are for education, not for religious gestures,” Malviya said, accusing the Congress of “vote bank politics” and pandering.The Congress government defended the decision saying that education should not be harmed because of religious identity or traditional practices. Karnataka minister Madhu Bangarappa said, “Religious practices should not come between students’ education and future. Our constitution allows all religions.”
