In an unusual statement, Congress MLA from Karnataka, Zameer Ahmed, said that the rape rate in India is highest because some women don’t wear hijab.

"Hijab means 'parda' (veil) in Islam... It is meant for hiding the beauty of girls when they come of age. Today you can see that the rape rate is the highest in India. What is the reason for this? The reason is that several women don't wear hijab,” said the MLA, Zameer Ahmed.

Ahmed’s statement comes amid the ongoing hijab controversy that has been making headlines in the country.

He went to say that wearing hijab is not compulsory and only those who want to protect themselves and conceal their beauty wear it.

“This practice has not started today but has been in practice for years,” the Congress MLA told ANI.

The hijab controversy was triggered few weeks back after a few burqa-clad female students were denied entry to their government pre-university college in Karnataka’s Udupi. The incident led to widespread protests against the hijab ban in various parts of the state.

Following the incident, the state government in an order said that students at schools and pre-university colleges across the state should only follow the uniforms prescribed by it or the management of private institutions.

The Karnataka High Court has restrained all students from wearing any sort of religious dress within the classroom in the state, regardless of their religion or faith, until further orders on pleas challenging the ban in educational institutions with a dress code.