By M Qadeer
The shocking video of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar forcibly pulling a Muslim woman’s niqab on stage is more than just a lapse in judgment — it exposes a dangerously unbalanced mind wielding immense power. In a civilized society, no leader, regardless of rank or authority, would think it acceptable to strip away a woman’s religious choice in public. Kumar’s behavior defies ethics, human decency, and every norm of governance.
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On a government stage in Patna, India, during a ceremony for AYUSH doctors, Nusrat Parveen was presenting herself to receive her certificate when Kumar gestured for her to remove her niqab. Before she could respond, he reached out and forcibly exposed her face. The casual laughter and half-hearted intervention by other officials only added insult to injury, highlighting the normalization of such disrespect in positions of power.
This act signals an alarming disregard for consent, personal autonomy, and religious freedom. A chief minister’s conduct sets the tone for society. When the highest official in a province exhibits such erratic and humiliating behavior, it erodes public trust and exposes minorities — especially Muslim women — to fear and vulnerability. If this is the standard of leadership, one must question the mental equilibrium required to govern responsibly.
India has long claimed to be a secular state. Yet, incidents like this rip the mask off those claims. Secularism is meaningless when a leader openly humiliates a citizen because of her faith. Globally, the act is considered harassment and a violation of human dignity, not just a political faux pas. International condemnation is warranted; the world cannot ignore a scenario where a government official abuses his office to demean religion and gender.
Beyond ethics, this is a matter of mental fitness. The ability to hold public office demands judgment, restraint, and respect for others, qualities clearly absent in Kumar’s actions. His behavior is so extreme that many are asking whether someone with such erratic tendencies should be in charge of a province at all.
If unchecked, it sets a dangerous precedent: that religious minorities can be humiliated in public with impunity, and that women’s autonomy is negotiable when power is wielded by the mentally unbalanced. This is not about politics; it is about human dignity, societal norms, and the basic sanity required to lead.
Kumar’s niqab incident proves, beyond a shadow of doubt, that authority without conscience or self-control is a recipe for chaos. His place, arguably, is under scrutiny for mental fitness rather than in the corridors of power. For the sake of democracy, secularism, and women’s rights, this cannot be brushed aside.
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