A video is circulating of a senior Indian politician removing a Muslim woman’s hijab during a government event. Many people across India are criticizing the incident.
Nitish Kumar, the leader of Bihar in eastern India, was filmed pulling the veil off a woman. She was receiving a certificate to become a doctor of alternative medicine at an event in Patna on Monday.
In the widely shared video, Kumar is seen holding a paper and standing with other officials. He points to the woman’s clothing and tells her to remove it. Before she can respond, he pulls down her hijab, revealing her face. Someone nearby tries to intervene, and others on stage seem to be laughing.
Kumar, who is 74, has led Bihar for about 20 years. He is an ally of Narendra Modi’s party, the BJP. In the recent election, they won in Bihar, with the BJP getting the most seats.
The video first appeared on X, posted by the rival RJD party. They wrote, What’s up with Nitish? Is he losing it, or has he become a total Sanghi? The term refers to the RSS, a Hindu group linked to the BJP. The BJP and similar groups have opposed Muslim women wearing hijabs. In 2022, hijabs were banned in schools, which led to protests and a court case. Now, some Hindu groups want to ban hijabs in all public places. Nearly one in five people in Bihar are Muslim.
Other political parties and Muslim groups have condemned Kumar’s actions and are calling for his resignation. The Congress party posted on X: This guy is the top dog in Bihar, and he’s doing something this awful. Nitish Kumar needs to step down right now because this is disgusting. On Wednesday, the AIMIM group protested in Mumbai, demanding that Kumar be charged with a crime. One protester shouted, This Muslim woman has been disrespected! as police arrived. Another protester wearing a hijab said, Nitish Kumar should quit!
Zaira Wasim, who used to be an actor, wants Kumar to say sorry for real. She posted on X., A woman’s respect isn’t something you can play around with. Being in charge doesn’t mean you can cross boundaries.
Even Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said it was shameful and deeply disturbing. He said, Things like this show why we need to protect minority rights and deal with Islamophobia. Treating women and respecting beliefs should be the basis of society.
Kumar hasn’t said anything about it yet. On Thursday, his party, JD-U, defended him, saying on X that he’s always been on the side of minorities and ensured their safety while he was in charge. They didn’t say anything about what happened on Monday.
Aakar Patel from Amnesty International told Al Jazeera: What Kumar did messes with this woman’s dignity, her freedom, and who she is. Pulling off her hijab tells everyone that it’s okay to do that kind of thing. This needs to be called out, and he needs to be held responsible. We need to make sure this never happens to another woman.
