Asia

After Sri Lanka, Fringe Hindu Group Seeks Ban on Burqa in India

Citing the possibility of terrorists covering their face or body under the garb of Islamic dress to hide their identities and outsmarting CCTVs, Hindu Sena has demanded a blanket ban on such clothing in all private and government avenues.
Sputnik

New Delhi (Sputnik)  — Hindu Sena, a little known group in India, on Tuesday urged the government to ban burqas and veils in the wake of the growing menace of terror and impending danger of further attacks following the recent bombings in Sri Lanka, in which 253 people were killed and hundreds of others injured. Daesh* took responsibility for the bombings.

The demand comes days after Sri Lanka banned fully concealing the face in view of facilitating security agencies to identify people.

READ MORE: Hindu Sena Group Starts Celebrating Trump's 'Victory'

Hindu Sena has written a letter to the Home Ministry and said that countermeasures are necessary in the wake of Islamic terror in the Colombo region.

"Please impose complete ban on usage of full face covers and dresses such as Arabic dresses of burqa and Niqab in all public places and inside the government and private institutions. These kinds of head coverings enable terrorists to hide their identity from closed-circuit cameras and other surveillance measures in place", Vishnu Gupta, president of Hindu Sena, told Sputnik while sharing the contents of the letter addressed to India's Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka Bans All Clothing Covering Face Under Emergency Regulations
The Burqa is an Islamic garment worn by many Muslim women, covering their body, with a mesh over the eyes. The Niqab is a full-face veil with an opening for the eyes.

The Hindu group has expressed anxiety and questioned the surveillance measures' ability to identify any suspect if the face or full body is covered.

Sri Lanka prohibited the covering of faces as of Monday to strengthen national security, as well as to not inconvenience any demographic group in order to create a peaceful and harmonious society in Sri Lanka.

READ MORE: Sri Lankan Attackers May be Planning More Assaults —US Ambassador

Founded by Vishnu Gupta in 2011, the Hindu Sena group keeps drawing attention, such as by paying tribute to Queen Victoria on her 118th death anniversary, saying that she "freed India from the autocratic rule of the Mughals". In 2017, the group also celebrated the birthday of US President Donald Trump.

Discuss