Srinagar, Dec 16 (UNI) Political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday demanded an apology from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and asked him to quit after a video surfaced allegedly showing him pulling down the hijab of a Muslim woman during a government function
In a post on X, former Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti questioned whether the act reflected age-related behaviour or the growing normalisation of publicly humiliating Muslims
“Having personally known & admired Nitish ji 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? The fact that people around him watched this horrific incident unfold as some form of entertainment is even more unsettling. Nitish Sahab perhaps it’s time you step down?,” she said.
Lok Sabha member and National Conference leader Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said the conduct displayed by the Bihar Chief Minister, publicly pulling a Muslim woman’s burqa, is indefensible and deeply disturbing.
“He owes the woman and the public an unconditional apology,” the office of the MP said on X. “This erratic conduct is alarming and points to a man who no longer possesses the composure or mental clarity required for constitutional office. Seeking medical attention and stepping aside is necessary,” he said.
The General Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) and President of the All Jammu & Kashmir Shia Association, Imran Ansari, formally wrote a letter to Nitish Kumar, expressing grave concern and condemnation over the incident.
Ansari said that the act was “deeply hurtful, unacceptable, and in clear violation” of democratic and constitutional values of India.
He emphasised that such conduct does not befit a person holding a high constitutional office and sends a disturbing message to minority communities across the country.
Ansari said the issue is not political in nature but concerns the very basics of religious freedom, personal dignity and respectful coexistence.
Ansari demanded an unconditional public apology and assurances against such incidents, warning that they damage communal harmony and public trust.
Dangal actor Zaira Wasim, who quit Bollywood, demanded an unconditional apology from Nitish Kumar.
“A woman’s dignity and modesty are not props to toy with. Least of all on a public stage. As a Muslim woman, watching another woman’s niqab being pulled at so casually, accompanied by that nonchalant smile, was so infuriating. Power does not grant permission to violate boundaries. NitishKumar owes that woman an unconditional apology,” she said on X. UNI MJR SSP
