Select Language:
Amnesty International, Indian politicians, and other human rights organizations have strongly condemned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for forcibly removing the hijab of Nusrat Parveen, a newly hired Muslim doctor, during an official event. This incident occurred a day earlier at the chief minister’s secretariat, where appointment letters were being handed out to newly recruited doctors.
Aakar Patel, chair of Amnesty India’s board, described the action as an assault on the woman’s dignity, autonomy, and identity. He emphasized that when a public official forcibly pulls off a woman’s hijab, it signals to the public that such behavior is acceptable. Patel reiterated that no one has the right to police a woman’s faith or clothing. Such actions, he warned, foster fear, normalize discrimination, and undermine the core principles of equality and religious freedom.
He called for unequivocal condemnation and accountability, urging immediate measures to prevent similar degrading treatment of women. The incident sparked widespread outrage across the country, prompting calls for legal action against Kumar for humiliation of a Muslim woman. Political figures, journalists, and human rights advocates labeled the event as disgraceful. The opposition Congress described Kumar’s conduct as “unforgivable,” and Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, demanded that he resign immediately.
Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party described the act as “shameful,” while journalist Mohammad Zubair commented that Kumar’s actions reflect a harmful level of ignorance if he was fully conscious. Scholar Ashok Swain commented on social media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s perceived Islamophobia and rudeness in India appear to have received official endorsement. Deepika Pushkar Nath, a human rights activist, characterized the incident as a serious case of sexual harassment.
Evidence of rising religious intolerance in India has been mounting, with hate crimes against minorities notably increasing during Modi’s tenure. A recent U.S. report recommended designating India as a country of “special concern,” citing religious prejudice and severe violations of religious freedoms. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom highlighted systemic discrimination by Modi’s government and the RSS, the Hindu nationalist organization, asserting that policies favor Hindu supremacy and marginalize minorities, especially Muslims and Sikhs. The report underscored that the BJP’s Hindutva ideology promotes discriminatory practices aligned with extremist agendas.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
