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IAMC labels Bihar CM's niqab incident a ‘hate crime’
The statement cited developments since 2022, when several schools in Karnataka banned the hijab and the state High Court upheld the policy.
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Pranavi Sharma - Fri, 19, Dec 2025
- 02:02 EST
- 14
The Indian American Muslim Council is an advocacy group with multiple chapters across the United States. / IAMC website
The Indian American Muslim Council said an incident involving Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and a Muslim woman amounted to a “hate crime,” condemning his actions at a recent government event in India.
In a statement released Dec. 18, IAMC said Kumar publicly pulled down the face veil, or niqab, of a Muslim doctor during the event, exposing her nose and chin. A video of the incident shows people in the background laughing. The woman’s brother later told reporters that the incident affected her so deeply that she decided not to join government service.
“To remove the face veil of a Muslim woman – an article of clothing she deems essential – is nothing short of a hate crime and sexual harassment,” said IAMC President Mohammed Jawad. He said Kumar’s actions reflected “his own bigotry” and sent “a dangerous message to Hindu extremists across India” about the treatment of Muslim women.
Jawad alleged that the incident signaled approval of harassment of Muslim women and accused Kumar’s Bharatiya Janata Party of condoning such behavior.
IAMC said the episode has triggered nationwide backlash in India, including calls for Kumar’s resignation. The group added that harassment of hijab- and niqab-wearing Muslim women has been increasingly reported across the country.
The statement cited developments since 2022, when several schools in Karnataka banned the hijab and the state High Court upheld the policy. IAMC said similar restrictions were later announced by school administrators in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, with women reporting denial of access to examinations, harassment at medical facilities and loss of job opportunities.
“India’s prolonged campaign of hatred against hijabi women did not begin with Nitish Kumar,” Jawad said. “This is the outcome of a decade of anti-Muslim hate normalized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.”
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