Mumbai: A recent viral video has sparked controversy online after two women wearing burqas were allegedly stopped from entering Mumbai’s BMC-run Cooper Hospital.
The video shows the two women, one of whom was carrying a baby, being stopped at the hospital entrance by a female security guard. The footage further shows one of the women confronting the guard and questioning why she was not being allowed to enter the hospital wearing a burqa.
According to one of the women, she was stopped because hospital authorities allegedly feared that babies could be stolen by women wearing burqas. She claimed that she had visited Cooper Hospital to meet a relative who was admitted there.
Speaking about the incident, the woman questioned the security arrangements and said that if there were concerns about baby theft, a female security guard should be deployed at the entrance to check women entering and leaving the hospital.
Altercation over video recording
Amid the altercation, a male security guard also attempted to stop the person recording the incident on a mobile phone. However, the person refused to stop recording and continued filming despite repeated warnings.
Woman recounts alleged incident
One of the women who was allegedly denied entry has been identified as advocate Jahanara. Speaking to reporters, she said, “I went to Cooper Hospital, and I was stopped right outside the maternity ward and told that I could not go inside wearing a burqa. Even after I spoke to them and introduced myself, I was still stopped and told, 'No matter who you are, we will not allow you to enter in a burqa.' I asked them for the reason—why I was not being allowed inside in a burqa. They said that when people go inside wearing burqas, babies get stolen.”
Questioning the security guard’s reasoning, Jahanara asked, “Are babies stolen only by people wearing burqas?”
She further said, “I would like to ask whoever made these rules—the hospital management or whichever staff member formulated them—are babies stolen only in burqas? In Wadia Hospital, babies were stolen by someone wearing a saree.”
Hospital yet to respond
Meanwhile, Cooper Hospital has not yet issued an official statement or commented on the alleged incident. The video has since gone viral on social media, triggering a debate online over the hospital’s alleged security practices and the treatment of women wearing burqas.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
