Who is Muskan Khan - the poster girl of hijab protest; all that is known about her

Muskan Khan, a girl student from Karnataka's Mandya pre-University college, has become the poster girl of pro-Hijab protests across India. Muskan hogged headlines when a video showing her shouting "Allah Hu Akbar" slogan against a mob of right-wing students went viral on social media.

The video showed Muskan being heckled on arrival at her college in Karnataka on wearing a hijab by saffron-clad students. Muskan, however, shows no sign of being scared of the visibly violent mob. She instead shouts back with "Allah Hu Akbar" slogans.

Muskan is a second year Commerce student of Mandya's pre-University college, Zee Salaam has reported. The video in question went viral on social media in no time. The girl grabbed the attention of some of the top politicians of the country who praised her.

Asaduddin Owaisi's comments on Muskan Khan

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that the girl's "act of fearlessness has become a source of courage for all".

"Spoke to Muskan and her family on call. Prayed for her to remain steadfast in her commitment to education while also exercising her freedom of religion and choice," Owaisi posted on his Twitter handle.

Karnataka Minister's comments on Muskan Khan

BC Nagesh, Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister, said that the students didn't want to gherao Muskan,

"No other student was around her when she shouted "Allah-hu-Akbar". Was she provoked? Can`t encourage "Allah hu Akbar or Jai Shri Ram" on campus. No one can take law and order into their hands. Govt will not spare any miscreant," the Minister further added.

How the Hijab row started

The Hijab protests in the state began in January this year - when some students at the Government Girls PU college in Udupi district in Karnataka alleged that they were barred from attending classes.

During the protests, some students claimed they were denied entry into the college for wearing hijab. Following this incident, students of different colleges arrived at Shanteshwar Education Trust in Vijayapura wearing saffron stoles.

The situation was the same in several colleges in the Udupi district after the pre-University education board released a circular stating that students can wear only the uniform approved by the school administration and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges.

Following these protests, a three-day holiday from February 9 has been declared in all the universities under the Department of Higher Education and colleges under the department of Collegiate and Technical Education (DCTE).