Police complaints filed over Indian CM’s pulling down Muslim doctor’s hijab
Complaints cite assault, religious insult and privacy violations after video of Bihar chief minister’s act at public event goes viral
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Two Muslim women’s rights activists have filed police complaints against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after a viral video showed him pulling down the hijab of a Muslim doctor during a government function, an incident that has sparked nationwide criticism and renewed debate over dignity, consent and religious freedom in public life.
According to The Siasat Daily, a Hyderabad-based English-language news outlet, the complaints were filed this week by Khalida Parveen and Lubna Sarwath, who separately approached police stations in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad seeking criminal action against the chief minister.
The incident occurred on December 15 at an official event in Patna, the capital of Bihar, where Kumar was seen lowering the woman’s veil in full public view. The footage spread rapidly online, prompting condemnation from political parties and Muslim organizations, who described the act as humiliating and inappropriate.
In her complaint, Parveen urged police to register a criminal case against Kumar for actions that allegedly violated the woman’s dignity and religious freedom.
She argued that forcibly removing a veil amounts to an intrusion on personal privacy and bodily autonomy, particularly when carried out by a senior public official.
Her complaint invokes provisions of India’s new criminal code — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — which criminalize acts intended to insult a woman’s modesty and deliberate actions that outrage religious feelings.
Parveen also stressed that the incident carries greater gravity because it involved a chief minister, a constitutional authority expected to uphold the law and set standards of conduct in public life.
Separately, activist Lubna Sarwath approached another police station requesting registration of a so-called “Zero FIR,” a legal mechanism that allows police to record a complaint regardless of jurisdiction before transferring it to the appropriate authority.
She cited offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to assault, wrongful restraint, promotion of religious hostility, and misconduct by a public servant.
Sarwath’s complaint also invokes India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, arguing that the filming and circulation of the video without the woman’s consent constituted an unlawful breach of privacy. She has sought preservation of the video footage and transfer of the case to Patna for investigation.
Legal observers note that the case touches on multiple legal and constitutional protections, including personal liberty, religious freedom, and data privacy. While no official response has yet been issued by the Bihar government or the chief minister’s office, the complaints have intensified scrutiny of how public officials interact with minority women in highly visible settings.
The episode has added to broader concerns raised by rights groups about the treatment of Muslim women in India, particularly when acts involving religious symbols are normalized or downplayed in public discourse.
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