There was no ban on hijabs during recruitment exams for boards and corporations, said Karnataka Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar hours after the Karnataka Examination Authority’s new dress code banned all forms of head cover.
The minister said the idea behind the dress code was to check malpractices and, in any case, hijabs don’t cover the mouth, so using Bluetooth devices won’t be possible, adding that the new rules were being misinterpreted, India Today reported.
Earlier, the order drew criticism from different groups and politicians, including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Women candidates wearing hijabs will have to report to exam centres an hour early and go through proper frisking, the minister said.
He said: “These rules are nothing new. They existed earlier, too. We just want to increase vigilance. Wearing unnecessary caps or scarves is not allowed but it doesn’t apply to hijab.”
“I don’t know why wrong information is being disseminated. I don’t see anything wrong,” he said to India Today.
