A federal Muslim minister in the Narendra Modi-led Indian government has stated that there is no ban on wearing the hijab in the country.
BJP politician Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was speaking on Sunday when he sought to clarify the government's position on the raging controversy.
The comment came after the row erupted in the southern Indian state of Karnataka on wearing "religious clothes," including the hijab, in educational institutions by students of Muslim and Hindu faiths.
"The matter is in the court... There is no ban on wearing Hijab anywhere in India. It is clear...Of course, some institutions have their discipline, dress code and uniform. When we talk of the rights of the Constitution, we have to talk (understand importance) of Constitutional duties also," the ministers said in Hindi.
However, Naqvi avoided cross-questions by the reporters on the matter.
Earlier this month, BJP parliamentarian Pragya Singh Thakur warned Muslim women against wearing hijabs in public, saying "it won't be tolerated."
Former Jammu and Kashmir state chief Omar Abdullah recently alleged that hatred for Muslims has been "normalised" in the country which "no longer celebrates its diversity."
Karnataka is witnessing protests after a few Muslim girls were banned from entering their classrooms for wearing the Islamic headscarf in the Udupi District.
Since last month, there have been protests across the state after Muslim students were not allowed to attend classes because they were wearing hijabs. Meanwhile, other educational institutes in the state also banned the hijab on campus.
The matter is now being heard in the Karnataka High Court.