Condemnation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over an incident in which he pulled the veil off a woman&rsquo;s face during an official event has intensified in Kashmir, drawing sharp reactions from religious and political leaders. The controversy has now travelled beyond Bihar, with voices in the Valley describing the act as an assault on dignity and personal freedom, and warning against attempts to justify it under the guise of empowerment.
Addressing the Friday congregation at Srinagar&rsquo;s Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the episode a &ldquo;grave violation&rdquo; of personal dignity and moral boundaries. &ldquo;No position of authority or power gives anyone the right to interfere with another person&rsquo;s self-respect,&rdquo; he said, adding that when dignity is violated publicly by someone in authority, &ldquo;it sends a deeply troubling message that power can override ethics and basic human values.&rdquo; He also criticised efforts to reframe the incident as a debate on women&rsquo;s empowerment by dragging in the hijab.
Political reactions followed swiftly. Iltija Mufti, leader of the Peoples Democratic Party and daughter of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, filed a complaint at Srinagar&rsquo;s Kothi Bagh police station seeking registration of an FIR against Nitish Kumar. Calling the act &ldquo;vile&rdquo;, she wrote that it was shocking to watch &ldquo;Bihar&rsquo;s CM pull down the niqab of a young Muslim doctor in full public glare,&rdquo; adding that the response of those present, including the deputy chief minister, made the incident even more disturbing. She described the act as a &ldquo;forceful stripping&rdquo; that amounted to a brutal assault on the autonomy, identity and dignity of Indian women.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also weighed in, describing the episode as &ldquo;deeply distressing&rdquo; and warning of the larger implications for democracy. &ldquo;All of us should worry about what this sort of thing means in India,&rdquo; he said, pointing to a growing sense of disempowerment among sections of the population. Nitish Kumar&rsquo;s party, the JD(U), has sought to play down the incident, calling it a momentary lapse and urging that the chief minister be judged by his record on women and minorities. The backlash, however, shows no sign of abating.

Hijab incident sparks sermon, police complaint and political backlash

Kashmir Reacts to Nitish Row

Hijab incident sparks sermon, police complaint and political backlash

December 20, 2025 | 13:07 IST