Dar asked Iltija to seek similar legal action against her own mother for an alleged similar incident of 2004. He said justice must remain blind to personal and political ties.
Photo: IANS
A political slugfest erupted in Kashmir on Friday after the PDP leader Iltija Mufti moved a police complaint seeking an FIR against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the alleged removal of a Muslim woman’s naqaab. The move immediately drew a counterattack from the ruling National Conference, with party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar accusing Mufti of selective outrage and political grandstanding, turning the issue of women’s dignity into a partisan battleground.
Dar asked Iltija to seek similar legal action against her own mother for an alleged similar incident of 2004. He said justice must remain blind to personal and political ties.
Advertisement
Earlier, PDP leader Iltija Mufti lodged a complaint at the Kothi Bagh Police Station, seeking registration of an FIR against Nitish Kumar for “violating the dignity of a Muslim woman by forcibly removing her naqaab”.
Advertisement
However, there was no word from the police on whether an FIR has been registered against Nitish or not.
“I’m writing to bring to your attention a vile incident which has caused immense distress and hurt among Muslims, especially women. A few days ago, we watched with shock, horror and worry as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulled down the naqab’ of a young Muslim doctor in full public glare at a government function,” Iltija said in her complaint to the SHO.
She added that what made “matters worse was the unsettling reaction of the people around, including the deputy chief minister, who chuckled and watched with glee”.
“The forceful stripping of her ‘naqab’ wasn’t just a brutal assault on a Muslim lady but on the autonomy, identity and dignity of every Indian woman,”, she said.
The incident, a video clip of which has been circulated widely, sparking a major political row, took place on Monday in Patna where Ayush doctors gathered to receive their appointment letters.
Iltija said in the days following the “shameful” incident, “we have witnessed with abject horror videos of miscreants pulling off the naqabs of Muslim women across the country”.
“Perhaps a chief minister engaging in this vulgar act of indecency has now emboldened such lumpen elements, giving them carte blanche (complete freedom) to humiliate and attack Muslim women,” she alleged.
“BJP ministers and the men in power are justifying Kumar’s indecency. On the contrary, they are condoning and celebrating it. I am sure you will agree that the rule of law must be applied uniformly and unequivocally to every Indian citizen”.
“Being a chief minister doesn’t exonerate an individual just because he enjoys political power and patronage,” Iltija said, and urged police to immediately file an FIR against Kumar.
Meanwhile, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti strongly criticised Union Minister Giriraj Singh over his recent statement, alleging it has created an atmosphere of hate and harmed social harmony. She welcomed the FIR lodged by PDP leader Iltija Mufti against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying it reflects the party’s commitment to accountability through legal and democratic means.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah yesterday said “An India where an elected Chief Minister can pull off the face covering of a young woman on a whim and not face any blowback. It is deeply distressing. Nobody should do that”.
On Giriraj Singh’s statement, Omar said “This is exactly what we can expect from BJP”.
Advertisement
