People’s Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti on Friday went to the Kothibagh Police Station in Srinagar to file an FIR against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over a viral video that shows him pulling the niqab of a Muslim woman doctor during an official programme in Patna.
Speaking to reporters, Iltija Mufti said the act was deeply humiliating and reflected a “misogynistic and insensitive attitude” towards women and religious minorities. “This incident is completely unacceptable. When someone holding a constitutional post behaves like this, it cannot be brushed aside or normalised,” she said.
She said the controversy around the burqa and niqab is not new and such incidents keep repeating. “These are not isolated acts. They show a deeper problem where Muslim women’s dignity is repeatedly questioned or violated, and that needs to be challenged firmly,” Iltija said.
The PDP leader also criticised the initial silence of the Jammu and Kashmir political leadership after the video surfaced. “When this issue first came out, there was no immediate response. Later, some statements appeared which seemed more like justification than condemnation. That is equally disturbing,” she said.
The alleged veil-pulling incident has triggered widespread outrage across the country, with many calling it an attack on women’s dignity and religious freedom. Activists and opposition leaders have demanded action, and social media has been flooded with criticism of the Bihar chief minister’s conduct.
Iltija Mufti was accompanied by senior PDP leaders, including Waheed Parra, Budgam MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, and Mohit Bhan, when she submitted the complaint at the police station.
