'Assault on woman's dignity': Amnesty, politicians, journalists assail Bihar CM

• Amnesty terms CM’s act “assault” woman’s dignity.
• Says no one has right to police woman’s faith or clothing.
• Mehbooba Mufti says CM should resign immediately.
  

Amnesty International, Indian politicians and other rights groups have strongly condemned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for pulling down the hijab (veil) of Nusrat Parveen, a newly recruited Muslim doctor, during an official event.

The Bihar CM, a day earlier, had removed the hijab of the Muslim doctor at “Samvad”, the CM’s secretariat, where appointment letters were being handed over to newly recruited doctors.

In a statement, Aakar Patel, Chair of the Board at Amnesty International India, said: “This act was an assault on this woman’s dignity, autonomy and identity.”

“When a public official forcibly pulls down a woman’s hijab, it sends a message to the general public that this behaviour is acceptable,” he added.

Patel said that no one has the right to police a woman’s faith or clothing.

Such actions deepen fear, normalise discrimination and erode the very foundations of equality and freedom of religion, he added.

Patel said that this violation demands unequivocal condemnation and accountability and sought urgent steps to ensure that no woman is subjected to such degrading treatment.   

The shocking incident triggered a wave of anguish among minorities in the country and drew strong criticism from home and abroad.

In India, demands are growing to file a harassment case against the Bihar chief minister over the humiliation of a Muslim doctor.

Political leaders, journalists, and human rights organisations called the incident “shameful”.

Opposition party Congress assailed the CM and said that his act is “unforgivable”.

Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said that the CM should resign immediately.

Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav said that the CM’s move was “shameful”, while Indian journalist Mohammad Zubair said that if he had been in his senses, CM Kumar would not have done this.

Academic Ashok Swain wrote on social media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rudeness and Islamophobia in India have received official approval.

Human rights activist Deepika Pushkar Nath called it a serious incident of “sexual harassment”.

In India, hate crimes against religious minorities have alarmingly increased during the tenure of PM 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.