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Indian Chief Minister Pulling Down Hijab of Muslim Woman Triggers Global Condemnation

By The South Asia Times

NEW DELHI - An Indian state chief minister has sparked widespread outrage after a video showed him pulling down the face veil of a Muslim woman doctor during a public ceremony in eastern India.

The incident occurred in Bihar, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was distributing appointment letters to newly recruited alternative health practitioners.

The widely shared footage shows Kumar briefly pulling down the hijab/niqab of a Muslim female doctor on stage, prompting accusations of misogyny, Islamophobia and violation of personal dignity.

Indian academic Ashok Swain wrote on X that the act reflected how “misogyny and Islamophobia have official sanction” in India, while leaders and commentators from across the region and beyond echoed similar concerns.

Former Pakistani federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique called the act “shameful,” saying it insulted a woman’s religious identity and privacy.

Indian National Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury warned that such behavior by a constitutional officeholder risked emboldening extremist elements and undermining India’s democratic values.

Journalists and commentators also questioned attempts by some supporters to downplay the incident as unintentional, arguing that intent does not negate the violation of a woman’s autonomy and choice. British political commentator Bushra Shaikh described the incident as a hate crime, while others labeled it a disturbing example of anti-Muslim bias.

"Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar state in India, forcibly attempting to remove the niqab of Muslim woman doctor, Dr. Nusrat Parveen is a hate crime," Bushra Shaikh wrote on X and adding "Such brazen, vile Islamophobia by politicians globally going unchecked is unacceptable."

The Bihar government has yet to issue a detailed response, but the incident has reignited debate over religious freedom, women’s rights and the conduct of public officials in India.