Protests continue against hijab ban in some schools in India

NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 09: Activists from All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) held placards and marched on Wednesday during a demonstration in New Delhi after some educational institutes in the southern Indian state of Karnataka denied entry to students for wearing hijabs. On Tuesday, a video widely circulated on social media showed a young woman in a burka being harassed by a mob of men with saffron shawls – a color seen as a Hindu symbol, but also associated with the BJP. Surrounding the woman – identified as Muskan Khan – the mob yelled “Jai Sri Ram” (hail Lord Ram) repeatedly. Khan shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) as she was led away by college officials, a show of defiance that has garnered as much praise as the scorn poured on the mob. The vitriol against Muslim students in Karnataka has prompted more fear and anger among the minority community. Muslims are among the minority groups that have seen their basic rights being increasingly violated under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, according to several local and international rights groups. Since Modi came to power in 2014, various legislative and other actions have been taken, legitimizing discrimination against religious minorities and enabling violent Hindu nationalism, Human Rights Watch said in a report last year, charges that the Indian premier and the BJP have vehemently denied. (Footage by Amarjeet Kumar Singh/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)