Bihar hijab incident: Crossing red lines on bodily autonomy

Even if CM Nitish Kumar's intentions were innocuous, he violated the norms of acceptable behaviour in pulling offa woman's scarf covering her head

- Barkha Dutt

I watched the video clip of Bihar chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar tugging at the hijab on a young woman’s face in utter disbelief. It was a public event in the state and the woman — Dr Nusrat Parveen — was there to receive her appointment letter for a government job in the AYUSH medical programme from the CM. As the camera captured the bizarre moment, you can see the deputy CM of the state — the BJP’s Samrat Chaudhary — gently pulling at Nitish Kumar's kurta to try and pull him back.

Since then, the debate has been diverted to a predictably shrill one about the veil.

This is a red herring.

Itis actually irrelevant whether you support the hijab or you do not. Personally, I have never been a fan of any custom or tradition, in any religion, that requires more “modesty” from women than men. Context can also alter the symbol. In Iran, the women-led street fight against the hijab is also a fight against a State that institutionally discriminates against women. In another part of the world, some women have embraced the hijab to make a point about identity.

In Karnataka, a few years ago, the BJP government that was in power then banned the hijab in State-run classrooms. Then too, I argued that while I was opposed to a norm that required women to hide their face (but not men), if it meant more girls could get an education, surely that was the more important battle to fight.