Srinagar: Politicians in Kashmir lashed out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for pulling down the veil off a Muslim AYUSH doctor’s face during a government event.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti questioned Kumar’s continuation in office after the act.
“Having personally known and admired Nitishji, 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 an X post.
CPI(M) MLA from Kulgam, M Y Tarigami, said Kumar’s action was a violation of constitutional and democratic norms.
“A video circulating on social media shows Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulling down the naqaab of a Muslim woman. Such an act deserves unequivocal condemnation as a violation of religious freedom and personal dignity. It is against the spirit of the Constitution and democratic norms,” Tarigami said.
Calling the act “shameful”, PDP leader Iltija Mufti said Kumar should step down with decency and dignity if his health was not good.
Iltija said Kumar is the chief minister of a state where many Muslims reside.
“Don’t you know what it means for a Muslim woman who puts on her veil? Just because you are the chief minister, you have no right to bring her veil down,” she said.