Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Dec 16: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti today said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should step down for pulling down the veil of a Muslim woman.
”Having personally known & admired Nitish ji I was shocked to see him pull down a young Muslim woman’s naqaab. Does one attribute it to old age or the normalisation of humiliating Muslims publicly,” Mufti said in a post on X.
Mufti was commenting on a viral video in which Kumar can be seen pulling down the face veil of a Muslim woman during a felicitation ceremony.
“The fact that people around him watched this horrific incident unfold as some form of an entertainment is even more unsettling. Nitish Sahab perhaps it’s time you step down,” she added.
The PDP leader Iltija Mufti also criticised Kumar for pulling down the face veil of a Muslim AYUSH doctor while handing her a degree at a public function, calling the act “extremely shameful” and a serious violation of dignity.
Speaking to reporters here, Iltija said the Chief Minister’s conduct was unacceptable. “As a woman, I do not think it is right. It is a matter of great shame. We respect Nitish ji because he is an old man,” she said, while questioning his actions at the ceremony.
Iltija said that Kumar should have been aware of the religious and personal sensitivities involved. ”If you are holding a degree in one hand and removing a woman’s veil with the other, then you should remember you are the Chief Minister of Bihar. There are many Muslims in Bihar. Do not you know what wearing a hijab means for a Muslim woman? You have no right to remove it, just because you are the Chief Minister,” she said.
Referring to recent incidents in the state, Iltija also mentioned the lynching of a Muslim man in Bihar. “We recently saw a man, Athar Hussain, a cloth merchant, being lynched and tortured. This makes the situation even more alarming,” she said, describing the overall atmosphere as “extremely shameful”.
Iltija further criticised those present at the event, alleging that the incident was treated lightly. “People standing with Nitish Kumar were laughing. They thought it was a joke that the Chief Minister pulled down the veil of a young woman, a healthcare worker, who had come to receive her degree,” she said, adding that leaders, including Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister from the BJP, were seen laughing.
Questioning what she called double standards, Iltija asked how people would have reacted if a Muslim leader had removed a woman’s veil in public. While reiterating respect for Kumar due to his age, she warned that such actions should not be repeated. “Power does not give you the right to humiliate Muslims or disrobe a Muslim woman in public,” she said. Mufti also appealed to the Bihar government to consider a change in leadership, stating that such incidents reflected insensitivity at the highest level.
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