Students cannot attend schools wearing saffron shawls and saffron turbans. Only traditional headgear that has existed from the beginning will be allowed. If the colour of the turban is changed now, it will not be accepted. We have not permitted only hijabs; janivara (sacred thread) and shivadhara turban have also been allowed. However, new forms of turbans will not be permitted.  — CM Siddaramaiah in Mysuru

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government yesterday withdrew its controversial Feb. 5, 2022, uniform order, allowing students to wear limited community, traditional and customary symbols, including hijabs and sacred threads, along with prescribed school uniforms.

The revised order applies to Government Schools, aided and private educational institutions and PU Colleges across the State. While institutions will continue to prescribe uniforms as per rules, students will now be permitted to wear certain traditional and customary symbols as supplementary to uniform. The government clarified that such symbols should not replace, alter or defeat the essential purpose of the prescribed uniform.

Among the permitted symbols are hijab (headscarf), janivara (sacred thread), shivadhara, rudraksha and sharavastra. Other similar customary symbols will also be allowed, provided they do not interfere with discipline, safety or student identification.

However, saffron shawls will not be permitted. The Government stated that saffron shawls do not fall under religion, unlike sacred threads and symbols.

“No student shall be denied entry to an educational institution, classroom, exam hall or academic activities merely because they are wearing such limited traditional and customary symbols along with prescribed uniform,” the order stated.

The Government also said that no student can be compelled either to wear or not wear such symbols. At the same time, it clarified that national and State-level dress code regulations may be enforced during exams wherever applicable.

The order directed institutions to implement the policy in a uniform, secular and non-discriminatory manner.

School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMCs), College Development Committees (CDCs) and heads of institutions have been instructed to ensure that no student faces discrimination or humiliation over attire. The Commissioner of School Education and Literacy and the Director of PU Education have been directed to issue implementation guidelines.

The decision drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused the Congress Government of reviving the hijab issue for vote-bank politics.

Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka alleged that the Congress Government was indulging in appeasement politics and termed the move anti-Hindu.

Senior BJP leader Amit Malviya also criticised the decision, saying schools should remain neutral spaces focused on equality and education rather than religious identity.