Karnataka government all set to overturn hijab ban, Anti-Conversion law

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, May 24, 2023: The newly elected Congress government in Karnataka is ready to reverse the controversial hijab ban in the state, criticizing the previous decision as a divisive tactic by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) government.

During their campaign for the May 10 Assembly polls, the Congress party, particularly Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, strongly asserted that the hijab ban and any laws based on communal grounds enacted by the previous BJP government would be repealed once their party assumes power in the state.

When questioned about Amnesty International’s growing concern regarding the hijab ban in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar commented in Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday, stating, "I prefer not to comment on the hijab issue as it is a policy matter."

Sources claimed that the party is all set to withdraw these laws, including the Anti-Conversion law brought by the previous BJP government. A decision will soon be taken on the construction of a 114-foot tall Jesus Christ statue in Kapalabetta near Kanakapura town. This is proposed to be the largest Christ statue in the world.

The Hijab row which was started by six students of Udupi Pre-University Girl’s College had turned out to be a crisis in the state last year. The students refusing to attend classes without hijab still maintain that they will wait for the final verdict of the Supreme Court.