More than 100 students of Sri Ramakunjeshwara First Grade College near Uppinangadi in coastal Karnataka have been boycotting classes for nearly a week. The reason -- the blanket ban imposed by the college management on the hijab , a traditional headscarf worn by Muslim girls.Approximately 107 Muslim students of the college allege that the management's order is discriminatory and they have no option but to protest against it. The college management dismissed the allegation as baseless, claiming it was only enforcing discipline among the students by asking Muslim girls not to wear a hijab."We are convincing the students to attend classes. The management was of the opinion that wearing a hijab would affect teaching-learning process in the institution. Besides, students of other communities who study here would feel uncomfortable. There is no discrimination. We are implementing a rule that already existed. The parents were aware of it," college principal Vasanth Rao said.According to reports, the number of girls wearing the hijab has increased over the last few months, prompting the college authorities to enforce the ban on the headscarf. The college noted that they had specifically informed the parents about the ban on hijab before admitting their wards."Then, they did not have any objection to the ban on wearing hijab. Now, suddenly they are protesting against our policy. We have a common code for uniform and that cannot be broken," a member of the Sri Ramakunjeshwara First Grade College management contended.Leaders of the Muslim community have already approached the Dakshina Kannada district administration seeking justice. The leaders have threatened to approach the court if the government does not intervene in the matter.This is not the first time that students have been opposing a ban on the hijab in educational institutions in coastal Karnataka, which has the highest literacy rate in the state. Last year, Hadiya Iqbal, a student of the Jain PU College in Moodbidri, had taken the college to court over the ban on hijab. This is the third such incident in the last two years.Dakshina Kannada district is dominated by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar affiliates. The police have identified the district as "hyper-sensitive" among all the districts of the state. Consequently, the government is sceptical about sensitive issues in the coastal region.Incidentally, the coastal districts witnessed unrest following attacks on churches, allegedly by pro-Hindu organisations, after the BJP came to power."Religious beliefs are highly sensitive and we intend to resolve it amicably. We are calling both the college authorities and the students for a discussion," said officials in Dakshina Kannada district administration.