A protest by six young women escalates.

The conflict in southern Indian Karnataka, which is now causing tensions between Hindu and Muslim students, began when a state college banned Muslim women from wearing the so-called hijab in class. Six students at the school in the town of Udupi had refused to recognize the headscarf ban and, according to their own statements, had therefore been excluded from classes for weeks. 

The dispute is now attracting attention beyond India.

The matter will now be heard in court on February 14.

Karnataka’s Education Minister BC Nagesh said, “The government is very firm in its belief that the school is not a platform to practice Dharma (religion)”.

Almost at the same time, India’s Prime Minister inaugurated a gigantic “Statue of Equality” for all religions.

The second tallest seated statue in the world, at 65 meters, was inaugurated in Hyderabad, southern India. It represents the Hindu priest Bhagavad Ramanuja. He is said to have lived 1000 years ago and lived to be 120 years old. He is considered a reformer because he taught equal rights for all faiths and castes.

Modi had a larger-than-life portrait of himself set up in front of the temple. It reads: “Equality begins with us”.