Srinagar- The recent incident involving Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulling the veil off a woman doctor’s face has triggered widespread outrage in Kashmir, with political and religious leaders condemning the act as a serious violation of personal dignity and demanding accountability.

 Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti on Friday lodged a police complaint seeking registration of an FIR against the Bihar chief minister. In her complaint to the Kothibagh police, Mufti termed the act a brutal assault on the dignity, autonomy, and identity of a Muslim woman and alleged that it has emboldened miscreants to target veiled women elsewhere.

Mufti said the incident was particularly disturbing as it occurred in full public view at a government function and alleged that those present failed to intervene. She urged the police to apply the law uniformly, asserting that holding high office does not place anyone above accountability.

 Addressing the Friday congregation at the Jamia Masjid here, leaders described the incident as a grave violation of personal dignity and moral boundaries, saying no authority or position grants the right to interfere with a woman’s faith, identity, or personal choice. They criticised attempts to justify the act as women’s empowerment, calling such arguments misleading and insensitive. 

The incident, which occurred earlier this week at the Bihar chief minister’s secretariat in Patna during an appointment ceremony, has sparked a nationwide political row, with opposition parties demanding an apology and action.