Melbourne: Burqa clad muslim women in the Australian state of New South Wales would have to remove their veils and show their faces if asked by the police or risk a jail term.
The new step is being introduced in the country’s most populous state next week under which the police would be given sweeping powers to demand removal of any face covering, including helmets, masks and religious veils, for making identification.
Penalties for those who refuse would include fines ranging from 220 Australian dollars to a year in jail, ABC reported. But the State Premier Barry O’Farrell said the people objecting would be given option of getting identified privately. (PTI)