Muslim vendor told to remove hijab at Mumbai Jain food festival
Vendor alleges organizers demanded she remove her hijab or leave despite accepting her stall fee and serving only vegetarian food
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A Muslim woman has accused organizers of a food festival in India’s financial capital of Mumbai of religious discrimination after she says she was told to remove her hijab or leave the venue, despite operating a vegetarian food stall that complied with the event’s dietary requirements.
According to The Observer Post, the alleged incident took place during a Jain community food festival at the National Sports Club of India in Mumbai, according to videos and statements shared by the woman’s family on social media.
The vendor said she was serving customers while wearing a hijab when an organizer approached her and demanded that she remove it. She said she was never informed before the event that Muslim vendors or women wearing hijab would not be permitted to participate.
According to the woman, organizers had accepted payment for her stall without imposing any restrictions related to religious attire. She questioned why she had been allowed to register and pay if her headscarf was going to become an issue after the event had already begun.
The woman also said she had taken care to respect the religious practices of the Jain community by ensuring that every item sold at her stall was vegetarian and prepared without eggs, making it fully consistent with the festival’s dietary expectations.
She described the episode as one of the most distressing experiences she has encountered while participating in public food exhibitions, adding that several people photographed and recorded her and her family without their consent during the confrontation.
The allegations come amid continuing concerns over discrimination against visibly identifiable Muslims in India, where rights groups have documented growing reports of exclusion from public spaces, businesses and community events.
Muslim women who wear the hijab have increasingly reported facing barriers in educational institutions, workplaces and other public settings, with critics arguing that religious identity has become a basis for exclusion in everyday life.
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