"What if he touched elsewhere?": Indian minister defends Bihar CM's Hijab act

An Indian minister has defended Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's act of pulling down a Muslim doctor's niqab at a public event, sparking a controversy with his crass remarks.

While speaking to a local television channel, Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad questioned what would have happened if the CM had "touched somewhere else".

“He is also a human being, isn’t he? He shouldn’t be hounded like this. Just by touching the niqab caused such a big issue… what would have happened if he had touched somewhere else?” he said.

Tweet by Darab Farooqui

The minister was seen smiling and laughing while making the remarks. Nishad currently serves as a cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government led by far-right Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The remarks quickly triggered political backlash, with several leaders condemning his comments. Critics said that he trivialised a sensitive issue and used objectionable language.