Hijab row: Minister says Madhya Pradesh not banning hijab

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh BJP government is not planning to invoke a hijab ban, Home Minister Narottam Mishra said. The state is not considering to implement such a proposal in educational institutions, NDTV reported.

The minister said that there is no controversy over wearing hijab in Madhya Pradesh. There should be confusion regarding the matter, the minister told reporters in Bhopal.

The minister further said that the case is sub judice, and he does not wish to comment more on that.

The minister's statement comes after one of the cabinet members and School Education Minister, Inder Singh Parmar, made remarks supporting the hijab ban, arguing there should be a ban on the clothing. However, Parmar claimed on Wednesday that his statement was wrongly interpreted. He said that the state is not going for such proposals, and the present arrangements on schools will continue.

But he cautioned that if the "wearing of hijab happens", the ban will be brought in the state too. The state will act accordingly, he said.

Meanwhile, in Karnataka, the High Court referred the case, on petition given by Muslim girls for being banned from wearing hijabs inside the classroom, to a larger bench of Chief Justice, NDTV reported. The State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy informed that the cabinet had discussed the hijab. Since the matter is sub judice, it felt that further decisions must be taken after the High Court's verdict, he said. PTI reported.