PUNE, 29 December 2006 — Pune Police Commissioner Dhananjay Jadhav outright rejected the demand of the Maharashtra Jewelers Federation (MJF) to ban veiled women from entering jewelry shops in Maharashtra unless they reveal their identity and show their faces before the surveillance camera.

Rejecting the demand of the MJF the city police chief said that the police will not issue a “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) to the jewelers. He advised that the association should have taken into account the people’s sentiments before taking such a decision.

The president of the MJF Fatehchand Ranka had sought the permission from the state home minister, director general of police and the Pune police commissioner to allow the jewelers to display boards at the entrance of their shops banning the entry of veiled women, unless they revealed their faces.

The MJF’s demand evoked strong reactions from the clergy and members of the Muslim community. Female activist Razia Patel said that there were other ways to curb robberies in jewelry shops. “Such boards will hurt religious sentiments. It would simply deny a class of women customers,” she said.

Another activist Farouk Sayed said, “Wearing a veil is our tradition and forcing women to unveil their faces on camera is ridiculous. Moreover, this is not a foolproof method of security.” Salim Mohammed pointed out that this would not curb robberies. “Thieves will find other ways to rob a shop. Have the police been able to nab all the thieves who did not cover their faces,” he asked.

President of the Jamia Nizammiya Trust Maulana Nizamuddin Fakhruddin reacting to the demand said that there were other means that could have been adopted to reduce thefts in jewelry shops. “The jewelers could have employed women to ascertain the identity of those wearing veil. We will convene a meeting of social activists, community leaders and lawyers to decide our course of action,” he said.

Islamic scholar Anees Chisti came down heavily on the jewelers and said “It is the Muslim women who are being cheated at jewelry shops because of their uneducated nature. Our women are often not given the right purity, weight or price by the jewelers,” he commented.

Ranka meanwhile speaking to Arab News said that there had been three incidents involving women in veil in the last two months and at least nine similar cases have taken place this year. Surveillance cameras have recorded three incidents at the jewelry shops, but we can’t take action against them as they cannot be identified. In view of the rising jewelry thefts in various parts of Maharashtra recently, the MJF has sought to bar the entry of veil-clad women and display a notice board to that effect, he stated.

The MJF president announced that the Pune Jewelers Association would observe a strike on December 29, in Pune city and district to protest against the increasing incidents of robberies at jewelry shops and the failure of the police to nab the culprits.