The appeal by the All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) state that the incident cannot be separated from what it calls a growing pattern of demonisation of visible markers of Muslim identity, including hijab, burqa, skull caps and beards etc.
Groundxero | December 18
A coalition of feminist activists, lawyers, scholars and researchers under the All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA), affiliated with the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), has submitted an urgent appeal to the National Commission for Women (NCW) demanding legal action against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for what they describe as a public and unconstitutional violation of a Muslim woman’s dignity.
The incident has been widely reported in print, electronic and social media. On 15th December, 2025, during a public event in Patna where appointment letters were distributed to newly recruited AYUSH doctors, the Chief Minister is seen forcibly pulling down the naqab (face veil) of Dr. Nusrat Parveen, a Muslim woman doctor, after exclaiming “What is this?” and gesturing for her to remove it herself.
The act, performed in full public view in the presence of senior officials and dignitaries, was non-consensual and left the woman visibly startled. None of the officials present intervened.
In its submission to the NCW, ALIFA termed the incident “atrocious, misogynistic and unconstitutional,” arguing that the Chief Minister’s conduct amounted to a direct assault on the woman’s bodily autonomy, dignity, privacy and freedom of religion.
The group noted that reliable media reports suggest that as a result of this shocking incident, Ms. Parveen has decided not to join government service, despite having received her appointment letter.
“Nitish Kumar’s behaviour clearly exemplifies his patriarchal entitlement and is a profound violation of a women’s bodily autonomy, personal dignity, privacy and freedom of religion,” the appeal states. “No one, least of all a Chief Minister, has the right to invade a woman’s personal space or violate her dignity.”
ALIFA has argued that the Chief Minister’s clearly constitute offences under Section 74 (Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), Section 76 (Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and Section 79 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
“His behaviour is also a gross violation of the woman’s fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution; including Articles 14 (equality before law), Article 15 (non-discrimination), Article 19 (freedom of expression), Article 21 (right to life with dignity) and Article 25 (freedom of religion),” said the appeal by ALIFA.
ALIFA, in its appeal to the NCW said that Nitish Kumar’s behaviour not only undermines the constitutional guarantees of equality, freedom of religion, and personal liberty, but erodes the trust in public institutions meant to protect, not violate, women’s rights. Describing the incident as an example of “gender oppression intersecting with religious discrimination at the highest level of governance,” the appeal states that the incident cannot be separated from what it calls the growing pattern of demonisation of visible markers of Muslim identity, including hijab, burqa, skull caps and beards etc.
The feminist collective also condemned attempts by some political figures and commentators to portray the Chief Minister’s horrific action as “fatherly affection” or as an attempt to “highlight minority women’s progress”. Such patronizing positions, the group said, reinforce the very patriarchy they claim to transcend, reduce a grown-up woman to a non-adult, erase consent and ignore the stark power imbalance in the act of a high-ranking male politician publicly humiliating a female professional from a minority community.
ALIFA has further demanded action against Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad for making what it termed “outrageous and obscene” remarks. The UP minister in response to the incident, said, “What would have happened if Nitish Kumar had touched somewhere else”!
“In a country where Muslim women already face scrutiny and stereotypes regarding their clothing,” such an act by a key state leader, the appeal said “normalizes the policing of women’s bodies based on their faith”. “It sends a dangerous message that women’s religious and cultural expressions are negotiable, especially when they inconvenience those in power,” the appeal added.
The alliance expressed dismay that even though such “disgusting actions from no less than a Chief Minister send out very problematic signals and deepens the atmosphere of fear amongst women from minority communities, especially Muslim women,” the NCW has not taken suo motu cognisance of the matter so far, despite the availability of video evidence and extensive media coverage.
ALIFA has called upon the National Commission for Women to immediately take suo motu cognizance of this serious incident and ensure that:
- Mr. Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar issues an immediate and unconditional public apology to the young woman and to all women for his outrageous and unconstitutional act.
2. Legal action is initiated against Mr. Nitish Kumar under appropriate provisions of law, (including Sections 74, 76, 79 of the BNS), for his behaviour that has violated a woman’s bodily autonomy, dignity and constitutional rights in full public view.
3. Legal action is initiated against Mr. Sanjay Nishad (Uttar Pradesh Minister), and other public personalities for their objectionable comments justifying Nitish Kumar’s actions.
4. Adequate safety and protection, support with consent, and exemplary compensation be provided to the aggrieved woman, for the humiliation and mental trauma suffered by her.
5. Permanent Government employment be provided to Dr. Nusrat Parveen, with full assurance of dignity and safety.
6. The Govt. of Bihar and Govt. of India takes proactive measures to safeguard the rights, dignity and religious freedom of all women in the state and the country, especially those from muslim and other minority faiths.
The appeal has been signed by 43 activists, lawyers, academics and journalists from across the country, including members of civil liberties organisations, feminist collectives and research institutions.
The list of signatories is given below.
- Aatreyee, Activist, Himachal Pradesh
- Adv Albertina Almeida, Goa
- Adv Dr Shalu Nigam, Delhi NCR
- Adv Vertika Mani Org. Secretary, PUCL
- Akanksha Mehta, Feminist Researcher
- Anannya, PhD scholar, Delhi
- Anita Cheria, Bangalore
- Ankuram Sumitra, Social Activist, Hyd
- Anuradha Banerji, Sahehi & ALIFA, Delhi and Jabalpur
- Arundhati Dhuru, NAPM UP
- Arundhati Ghosh, Bangalore
- Bhanumathi Kalluri, Activist, Hyderabad
- Chayanika Shah, Mumbai
- Deepthi, ALIFA Telangana
- Dr Sanju Sadaneera, Rajasthan, ALIFA
- Gabriele Dietrich, Penn Urimay Iyakkam, Madurai, Tamil Nadu
- Geeta Charusivam, Chennai
- Gouthami, Trainer, North Goa
- Harpuneet Kaur, Student, Punjab
- J Devika, feminist scholar, Kerala
- K. Sajaya, Independent journalist & activist, Hyderabad
- Kiran Shaheen, Mental Health Campaigner
- Mamata Dash, Activist, New Delhi
- Meera Sanghamitra, ALIFA and NAPM Telangana
- Nandini Rao Akkaraju, New Delhi
- Nikita, Regenerative Activist, Hyderabad
- Plaksha Srivastava, PhD Student, Delhi
- Pranjali Tripathi, Researcher, Delhi
- Preeti Oza, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
- Priyanka, Lawyer, Lucknow, UP
- Radhika Desai, Porvorim, Goa
- Radhika Ganesh, Ek Potlee Ret Ki and Young People for Politics, Tamil Nadu
- Sagari R Ramdas, Food Sovereignty Alliance, Telangana
- Seema Azad, PUCL UP
- Shahira Naim, Lucknow
- Shilpa Parthan, Researcher
- Shiva, Researcher, Delhi
- Shivani Taneja, Bhopal
- Shyamala, Chennai
- Suneetha A, Independent Researcher, Hyderabad, ALIFA
- Vanaja, Coastal Action Network, TN
- Varsha, Research Scholar, Telangana
- Y. Krishna Jyothi, Freelance Journalist-Writer, Hyderabad