Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti on Friday filed a police complaint in Srinagar against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for removing the veil of a Muslim doctor during an event in Patna.
The daughter of former chief minister of J&K Mehbooba Mufti’s, Iltija filed the complaint with the Station House Officer Kothibhag Police Station in Srinagar.
In her complaint she said the incident of removing the veil of a Muslim doctor by Nitish Kumar has caused immense distress and hurt among Muslims, especially women.
“A few days ago we watched with shock, horror & worry as Bihar CM Nitish Kumar pulled down the niqaab of a young Muslim doctor Nusrat Parveen in full public glare at a government function. What made matters worse was the unsettling reaction of the people around, including Bihar’s Deputy CM, who chuckled & watched with glee,” the complaint read.
She said the forceful stripping of her niqaab isn’t just a brutal assault on a Muslim lady but on the autonomy, identity & dignity of every Indian woman.
“The fact that it transpired at a time when the deliberate othering, political & economic disempowerment of Muslims all across India is even more disconcerting,” she said.
She said in the days following this incident they witnessed with abject horror videos of miscreants pulling off the hijabs of Muslim women across India.
“Perhaps a chief minister engaging in this vulgar act of indecency has now emboldened such lumpen elements giving them carte Blanche to humiliate & attack Muslim women. As a young Muslim woman, I am deeply worried that so far no concrete action has been taken to serve both as a deterrent & precedent. BJP Ministers & men in power are justifying Nitish Kumar’s indecency,” she said in her complaint.
Urging the police to act, she demanded the immediate registration of an FIR, asserting that accountability is essential to uphold the rule of law.
“Being a chief minister doesn’t exonerate an individual just because he enjoys political power & patronage. Keeping these points in mind I urge you to immediately file an FIR against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. We owe it to every Indian woman to protect her dignity. The choice to wear what she wants without fear. With her head held high,” Iltija said.
Iltija hoped that J&K police would take cognisance of this violation.
Earlier, several PDP workers staged a protest outside the party office in Srinagar against the Bihar Chief Minister.
