A major political controversy has erupted in Bihar after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was seen in a viral video pulling down the hijab from a woman's face during a government function in Patna. The incident, which occurred on Monday, has drawn sharp condemnation from opposition parties who have labeled the act as public harassment.
The Incident at the AYUSH Doctors' Event
The event was held at ‘Samvad’, the Chief Minister's secretariat, where appointment letters were being distributed to over 1,000 newly recruited AYUSH doctors. According to news agency PTI, Kumar distributed appointment letters to 1,283 AYUSH doctors in the state capital. The appointees included 685 Ayurveda doctors, 393 Homeopaths, and 205 practitioners of the Unani system of medicine.
While most appointees received their letters online, Kumar personally handed over job letters to 10 individuals. When it was the turn of Nusrat Parveen, who was wearing a hijab covering her face, the 74-year-old Chief Minister frowned and asked, "what is this?". Standing on a raised platform, he then bent down and pulled the hijab down from her face.
Immediate Reactions and Political Fallout
The video clip quickly went viral on social media, prompting fierce criticism. The flustered appointee was hastily pulled aside by an official present at the event. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who stood beside Kumar, was seen tugging at the CM's sleeve in an apparent attempt to restrain him.
Opposition parties were swift to react. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Indian National Congress shared the video on their social media accounts. They claimed the incident was the latest proof of the Janata Dal (United) supremo's "unstable mental health". The Congress party termed Kumar's act as ‘vile’ and demanded his resignation from the chief minister's post.
RJD Spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad stated that Kumar's action reflected the JD(U)-BJP coalition's attitude towards women. "Removing a woman's veil is, in a way, an act of snatching away the right to live according to one's culture and religious freedom," Ahmad said.
National Condemnation and Calls for Accountability
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also reacted strongly, calling the act "absolutely condemnable." In a post on X, she stated, "This is absolutely condemnable and force pulling a woman’s veil down is nothing but public harassment of a woman by the elected CM."
The RJD, in a Hindi post on X, questioned the Chief Minister's mental state, writing, "What has happened to Nitish ji? His mental state has now reached a completely pitiable condition." The incident has ignited a fresh debate on dignity, religious freedom, and the conduct of public representatives, putting the Bihar government on the defensive.
