An Indian court has banned Islamic schools in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The decision affects 2.7 million students in thousands of schools.
Muslims constitute at least a fifth of the state's population of 240 million people. The ruling was issued ahead of the country's general elections, which the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to win. Modi is accused of perpetuating policies of persecution of Muslims in India during his years of rule. The government will decide to take further measures after reviewing the court order.