Overview
- the All India Jewellers and Gold Federation’s Bihar unit directed stores statewide to deny entry or sales to anyone with a covered face unless they briefly show it for identification.
- the rule lists hijabs, niqabs, burqas, scarves, masks and helmets, applies to men and women, and the federation says staff will only make polite requests and will not remove coverings.
- Shopfront notices went up across Patna, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga, with traders saying the measure takes effect across the state on January 8.
- RJD called the move unconstitutional and discriminatory, alleged a BJP‑RSS agenda, and urged withdrawal, with the dispute intensifying after last month’s incident in which CM Nitish Kumar removed a woman’s hijab.
- Federation leaders said they consulted Patna police, who raised no objections, and cited recent thefts including a reported Rs 25‑crore robbery in Bhojpur and another in Siwan as justification.