A Muslim girl who was asked by her college near Mangalore, India, to stop wearing her headscarf to class due to classmates' complaints has left her studies as a result, NDTV reports.
The Mangalore College has defended its request, saying it did so not on the basis of any personal issues but because they wish to quell tensions between Muslim and Hindu students.
The college principal said, "It is one rule for all students. She is the only one not following the rule."
There have been an increasing number of reports about Hindus and Muslims being asked not to speak to one another or to eat together in restaurants, NDTV reports.
Confrontations between Muslim and non-Muslims revolving around traditional Muslim dress have been surfacing in recent weeks.
A Paris pool refused entry to a Muslim woman recently for showing up in a burqini, swimwear resembling a wetsuit which covers the body from head to toe and incorporates a hood. She had been previously admitted to the same pool but on the latter occasion was told she could not enter unless wearing traditional swimming attire.
Earlier this summer, young pregnant Muslim woman Marwa al-Sherbini was stabbed to death in a German courtroom by a man who had previously called her a "terrorist" and tried to take her headscarf.