No stopping women in burqa, says Mumbai civic body

Following the Shiv Sena's demand for a ban on burqa in wake of the recent baby theft case, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has said it cannot stop burqa-clad Muslim women in hospitals and would instead ensure deployment of women guards to prevent such incidents.

"We cannot ban burqa-clad women in hospitals. This is not the solution. The women guards in hospitals conduct checks, so there seems to be no problem," Additional Municipal Commissioner A K Singh said.

"As the faces of women have to be checked, it is best to have female guards, then no one will mind," Singh said.

The Sena's demand came after a woman wearing a burqa allegedly stole a two-month-old child from the civic-run V N Desai Hospital in suburban Santacruz on Friday.

The BMC will soon deploy 200 women guards at major civic and peripheral hospitals in the city, Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said.