Nitish Kumar pulls down woman's hijab at event; Opposition questions Bihar CM's mental state | Watch
During an event in Patna to distribute appointment letters to newly appointed AYUSH doctors, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar drew attention after a video shows him pulling down from the face of a Muslim woman doctor.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has once again sparked controversy over his conduct during an official function on Monday. The incident occurred at an appointment letter distribution ceremony for newly appointed AYUSH doctors, where Kumar was seen attempting to pull down the hijab of a Muslim woman doctor, leaving several leaders and officials present at the venue visibly taken aback.
Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, along with Bihar government ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Health Minister Mangal Pandey, were also present at the event.
A video has gone viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from opposition parties and widespread outrage among users online. In the footage, Nitish Kumar is seen handing over the appointment letter to the woman, gesturing towards her headscarf, questioning her about it, and asking her to remove it. Moments later, he appears to pull it down himself.
The event was held at 'Samvad', the Chief Minister's secretariat, where appointment letters were distributed to over 1,000 AYUSH doctors. When it was the turn of Nusrat Parveen, who had arrived wearing a hijab covering her face, the 75-year-old chief minister reportedly frowned and exclaimed, "What is this?" As the situation unfolded, an official quickly pulled the appointee aside, while Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, standing next to Kumar, was seen tugging at his sleeve in an apparent attempt to restrain him.
Opposition questions Bihar CM's mental state
The Opposition slammed the Chief Minister for his behavior with both the RJD and Congress sharing the video on their X handles.
"What has happened to Nitish ji? Has his mental condition now reached a completely pathetic state or has Nitish Babu now become 100% Sanghi?" RJD wrote on X.
Lashing out at Kumar for a despicable act Congress also shared the video on X and demanded his resignation. "This is Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Look at his shamelessness—a female doctor had come to collect her appointment letter, and Nitish Kumar pulled off her hijab. A man occupying the highest position in Bihar is openly indulging in such a vile act. Think about it—how safe will women be in the state? Nitish Kumar should immediately resign for this disgusting behavior. This vileness is unforgivable," the party said.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shiv Sena UBT leader, termed the act a "public harassment".
"This is absolutely condemnable and force pulling a woman’s veil down is nothing but public harassment of a woman by the elected CM," she wrote on X.
According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the selected candidates included 685 Ayurveda doctors, 393 homeopaths and 205 practitioners of the Unani system of medicine. Of these, 10 appointees were handed appointment letters in person by the chief minister, while the remaining candidates received their letters online.
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