By Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: After a bearded Muslim questioned for hours just because he was moving around Israeli Consulate a couple of months ago, now a burqa-clad woman has been denied entry into the city’s famous KEM Hospital in Parel, South Mumbai.
Tanveer Fatima (47) was refused entry in KEM Hospital today, as she had her face covered with a burqa. The incident occurred when Fatima, her husband and another relative reached the hospital to visit her ailing uncle who was admitted at the hospital. When she was entering the hospital with family members, the security guard, Vinay Girish Meshram, stopped her and asked to show her face and hair stating a Police directive which was never issued.
Ulema and activists in Mumbai have strongly criticized the hospital administration and demanded an enquiry and action against the security guard.
Condemning the act of the security guard, Qari Athar of Ulema Council demanded an enquiry and action against the culprit. He said, “This is not France but Bharat and it’s a secular country. We will meet the Police Commissioner if he has issued any such order.”
Gulzar Azmi, a legal activist and general secretary of Jamiat Ulema Hind, Maharashtra said that Indian Constitution guarantees religious freedom and gives Muslim women a right to wear burqa. He said, “This kind of attitude provokes people and spread hatred among we Indians.”
Planning to hold protest against this discriminatory behavior Aslam Ghazi of Bharat Bachao Andolan said, “We condemn it outrightly and will demonstrate along with other organizations in front of the KEM hospital if the guilty is not punished like we agitated against the questioning of an innocent bearded man.” He also said that India is a pluralist country and we should respect each other and should not follow the west blindly.”
He also said that if the security reasons entails then instead of insulting people, women security guard must be kept at the entrance.