NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday slammed Bihar governor Arif Mohammad Khan’s statement over hijab row that erupted after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar removed naqab from a woman doctor’s face in an event. Party leader Pawan Khera described the incident as “an attempt to normalise a powerful, ageing politician publicly violating a young woman’s bodily autonomy.”Congress leader Khera took to X to criticise Bihar governor Arif Mohammad Khan’s remark describing the incident as a “father-daughter matter.” Khera wrote, “What is being passed off as a ‘father–daughter moment’ is, in reality, an attempt to normalise a powerful, ageing politician publicly violating a young woman’s bodily autonomy. It sends a chilling message to our girls: that unwanted touch is acceptable if the man is influential enough.“
Khera added, “There is nothing more disturbing than this, especially when we know that most survivors of sexual abuse are harmed not by strangers, but by people they know and are expected to trust.”The controversy erupted earlier this week during an appointment letter distribution event at the chief minister’s secretariat in Patna. A video from the programme, widely shared on social media, showed Nitish Kumar questioning the naqab of Dr Nusrat Parveen as she stepped forward to receive her appointment letter along with other Ayush doctors.Meanwhile, Parveen did not report for duty on her joining date on Saturday, officials told news agency PTI, adding that they are not in contact with her or her family.
