Indian CM pulls down Muslim woman's hijab at official event

In yet another incident of hate crime against religious minorities in India, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar removed the hijab (veil) of a newly recruited Muslim doctor during an official event on Monday, drawing widespread criticism worldwide.

The shameful incident took place at “Samvad,” the CM’s secretariat, where appointment letters were being handed over to newly recruited doctors, The Indian Express reported.

When the hijab-clad woman went to collect her job letter, the CM, 75, looked at her and asked: “What is this?”

Then, he bent a little and pulled her hijab down.

Meanwhile, the flustered appointee was hastily pulled aside by an official standing near the stage.

The shocking incident triggered a wave of anguish among minorities in the country and drew strong criticism from the opposition parties, especially the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Reacting to the video, the Congress accused Kumar of inappropriate conduct towards the woman official, calling it a “vile act".

In a post on X, the party said, “This is Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Look at his shamelessness—a female doctor had come to collect her appointment letter, and Nitish Kumar pulled off her hijab. A man occupying the highest position in Bihar is openly indulging in such a vile act."

The RJD questioned Kumar’s mental health.

“What has happened to Nitish ji? His mental state has now reached a completely pitiable condition,” the party said in a post on X.

In India, hate crimes against religious minorities have alarmingly increased during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Last month, a US report recommended designating India as a country of “special concern” due to religious prejudice and serious violations of religious freedom.

US Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its report, exposed religious discrimination in India and extremist policies of the RSS and the BJP's Hindutva agenda.

The report revealed that Modi and the BJP had implemented discriminatory policies against minorities in line with the Hindutva ideology.

It added that the BJP, as the political wing of the RSS, promotes Hindu nationalism.

The RSS has been involved for decades in violent acts against minorities, particularly Muslims and Sikhs.