Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Nishad has sparked outrage after he defended Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his misogynistic act of removing a Muslim doctor’s hijab during a public event in Patna.
Speaking to local news channel Bharat Samachar, Nishad, an Indian politician from Uttar Pradesh serving as a cabinet minister in the Second Yogi Adityanath ministry, made a crass and shocking remark, questioning what would have happened if Kumar had “touched somewhere else.”
“He’s also a human being after all. One should not hound him like this. Just by touching the hijab caused such an uproar, what would have happened if he had touched something else,” Nishad laughed and joked with the journalist during the conversation.
The minister later tried to clarify his remarks by saying there were not any ill intentions.
“The statement over which a controversy is being created today was said by me, smiling, casually, and in my local Bhojpuri dialect. There was no ill intention towards any community, any woman, or any religion, nor was there any intent to insult,” he added.
However, Nishad’s remarks have sparked a strong backlash on social media and from netizens who expressed outrage at the trivialization of a woman’s humiliation in public.
Many condemned the minister’s words as reflecting a “rape mindset” and described his response as “vile, senseless, shameless, and lecherous.”
“Disgusting man Sanjay Nishad, a cabinet minister in the UP Government and ally of the BJP, reacting to Bihar CM pulling down veil of a Muslim woman,” wrote one netizen.
Another tweeted, “Shameful! Even the person asking questions is laughing with him. Shameful!”
Several users highlighted the broader social implications, saying, “India is really a 3rd world country. This is the WORST time to be an Indian woman… Rapists in POWER!” and “This isn’t humor. This is a r*pe mindset sitting in power.”
Others directly criticized Nishad’s lack of accountability, commenting, “Shame on Sanjay Nishad. I wish his daughters teach him a lesson,” and “Sanjay Nishad mocking, disgusting and cheap mindset. Laughing at a woman’s humiliation, treating her dignity like a joke. Absolutely shameful.”
The remarks ignited discussions about misogyny, public responsibility, and how women are treated in India. They have also increased attention of politicians who degrade harassment and violate women’s dignity in public forums.