Hyderabad: Demanding an immediate public apology and resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for pulling hijab of Muslim doctor at an event, hundreds of Congress activists led by Hyderabad District Congress Committee president Syed Khalid Saifullah staged a massive protest near the historic Charminar on Saturday.

The protesters asserted that the act amounted to a serious violation of a woman’s dignity, bodily autonomy and constitutional rights, and warned that the agitation would continue until strict action was taken.

Speaking to media persons during the protest, Khalid Saifullah said a mere apology would not suffice and insisted that Nitish Kumar step down from his post to ensure accountability. He said the incident, which was captured on video and circulated widely, had shocked the conscience of the nation and could not be brushed aside as a trivial matter.

He described the act as a physical assault carried out in full public view and said no individual, irrespective of position or power, had the right to touch a woman or interfere with her clothing without consent.