BJP candidate asks Muslim voters to remove veil

BJP candidate Madhavi Latha has stirred another controversy after he forcefully checked identities of Muslim voters at polling stations during the ongoing elections.

A video of her, contesting from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, showed that she forced the women Muslim voters to remove their veil (Niqab) to check their identities.

The video of incident is doing rounds on the social media, in which BJP candidate Madhavi Latha is heard specifically asking veiled Muslim women voters to remove their ‘niqab’ for verification. She can be heard “Uthaiye aap (lift this up) saying to the Muslim voters.

So BJP Candidate Madhavi Latha checks the identities of Burqa clad women at a polling station in Old city of Hyderabad. She asked the women wearing burqa to remove their ‘Niqab’. Cop watching quietly, Where are the EC officials?? pic.twitter.com/7cF5etWuRu

— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) May 13, 2024

She also asked the women: “How many years ago did you get this voter card?” The BJP candidate also asked for their Aadhaar cards for additional verification.

Later, Madhavi Latha, defending her actions said that she is a candidate and as per the law, she has the right to check ID cards without face masks. It is not a big deal asking Muslim voters to remove veil as I am also a woman, she claimed.

After the video depicting her actions was widely circulated, a case has been filed against Latha at the Malakpet Police Station.

Earlier, Latha had previously faced backlash after her video emerged on social media showing her mimicking the act of shooting an arrow towards a mosque.