WHY HEADSCARVES KEEP DIVIDING INDIA

Beyond chronology, India's hijab rows are less about cloth than competing visions of secularism, gender agency and power—shaped by purdah's history, amplified by social media.

- TDG NETWORK

The 2022 Karnataka hijab protests created a tense atmosphere surrounding the hijab ban without identifying any individual participant.

In October 2025, an advertisement produced by the Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi featuring Indian actor Deepika Padukone triggered an online storm.

Padukone appears walking through the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque wearing a black abaya and headscarf. Many applauded her for respecting local customs while filming in a mosque, yet a hashtag #BoycottDeepika trended because some right-wing commentators accused her of “peddling hijab” for money and questioned her patriotism. The episode illustrated how a simple act of covering one's head can become politically charged when contested notions of culture, religion and nationalism collide online.

While the Padukone advertisement was a 2025 marketing campaign, it became a flashpoint partly because Indians were already debating the role of the hijab in public life. Over the last decade, multiple “hijab rows” have erupted, with courts, politicians and social-media users weighing in. Understanding this pattern requires tracing major incidents chronologically and considering the voices of politicians and women across communities.

EARLY COURT BATTLES: DRESS CODES AND EXAMS (2015)

The first nationally reported hijab dispute after independence occurred during the 2015 All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT). The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a strict dress code requiring candidates to wear short-sleeved clothing and barring headscarves to curb cheating. Two Muslim girls from Kerala petitioned the Kerala High Court, arguing that the hijab and full sleeves were part of their religious practice. The court allowed them to take the exam while wearing the headscarf, but required that they report early for frisking. Petitioners claimed the new dress code deterred pious Muslim girls from opting for medical courses.