Patna, Dec 15 : A political controversy broke out in Bihar after a video from a government programme in Patna showed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar allegedly removing the hijab of a woman AYUSH doctor while handing over appointment letters. The video, which has gone viral on social media, triggered sharp reactions from Opposition parties, especially the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
The incident took place at ‘Samvad’, the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, where appointment letters were distributed to 1,283 AYUSH doctors. According to officials, the appointees included 685 Ayurveda doctors, 393 Homeopathy doctors and 205 Unani practitioners. While 10 doctors received appointment letters directly from the Chief Minister, the remaining letters were issued online.
The video shows Nitish Kumar gesturing towards the woman’s headscarf after handing her the appointment letter. He is seen asking about it and then pulling it down. The woman doctor has been identified as Nusrat Parveen. During the incident, an official quickly moved her aside, while Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary was seen trying to restrain the Chief Minister.
Reacting strongly, the Congress accused Nitish Kumar of inappropriate behaviour. In a post on X, the party termed the act “shameless” and questioned the safety of women in Bihar under his leadership. The Congress also demanded the Chief Minister’s resignation over the incident.
The RJD also criticised Nitish Kumar, questioning his behaviour and mental condition. In a post on X, the party alleged that the Chief Minister had aligned himself completely with the Sangh Parivar ideology and described his conduct as unacceptable.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also condemned the incident, calling it “public harassment” of a woman by an elected Chief Minister.
Several senior leaders, including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Health Minister Mangal Pandey and other Bihar government ministers, were present at the event.
So far, there has been no official response from the Chief Minister’s Office on the controversy sparked by the video.
