Why was this woman made to take her burqa off? Because Yogi govt is scared of black

To survive without hassles in  Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh, apparently, you can't wear black to his rallies, or you must be a cow.

The UP CM's Tuesday rally in Ballia was witness to a shocking incident. Police forced a Muslim woman to take off her burqa in full public view at the rally.

The woman, Saira, had gone to attend the rally where three women cops got her to remove the burqa and then seized the outfit as well.

A hapless Saira told people that she has been attending rallies in her burqa for a long while now, but she has never ever been humiliated like this before.

What made it worse for Saira was the fact that Saira's burqa did not have buttons in front and she had to take the help of another woman to remove it.

But why was Saira made to remove her burqa?

Over-zealous police administration in various districts has been on up and about to prevent the waving of black flags at the CM's rallies. The paranoia has reached such a level that those in black shirts, t-shirts or trousers have not been allowed to venture anywhere near the rally venues to ensure that no protests happen. Not even the harmless kinds.

Initially, Saira partially removed the burqa from her torso and covered her head with her sari. But the police were not satisfied. Unmindful of hurting the woman’s religious sentiments, three policewomen who accosted her insisted that she completely remove the burqa. A policeman then took the apparel away from her.

Superintendent of police, Ballia, Anil Kumar was reported saying that he was not aware of the incident but promised action if a video of what happened was made available to him. However, he did say that he had instructions to ensure that no black cloth was shown to the chief minister.

Clerics have called this incident illegal and an insult to the woman.

Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahali, a prominent Sunni cleric of Lucknow, said that policewomen involved in the episode must be punished.

“We have the freedom to practice our religion and wearing burqa was part of that practice. If this has happened then it is an unconstitutional and an illegal act and those responsible must be punished,” Khalid Rasheed said.

Convener of the Babri Masjid Action Committee Zafaryab Jilani said he that did not want to make it a state or national issue yet. “First, let the police complete its inquiry,” he explained.

The complete removal of black clothing also happened in Agra where Yogi Adityanath swept the road near the Taj Mahal in a symbolic gesture for the shutterbugs. It has also at other places where the CM had his rallies.

In June this year, 11 students, including two girls of Lucknow University, were arrested for showing black flags to Yogi Adityanath. The protesters were jailed.

These actions, along with the special status accorded to cows, is creating a sense of fear in the minds of the people.

Recently, a woman in Lucknow could not shift her seriously ailing cow to a veterinary hospital because no transporter was ready to carry the animal for the fear of vigilantes. Her tweets to CM and other higher-ups drew no response. It was only after the local media highlighted her plight that the transporter was provided with a police escort for taking the animal to a vet.

Stray cattle have become a big nuisance on Lucknow’s roads but no one dares to touch the animal. Recently, two men were killed by stray bulls in separate incidents in the state capital.

The government’s policy to create special grazing lands for cows in Bundelkhand, where their fodder is in short supply due to drought, was yet to take shape so cattle owners let their animals graze through the crops belonging to other farmers who have to bear it without complaints.

Edited by Jhinuk Sen