Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sparked controversy after he pulled down a woman's hijab at an event in Patna. The video spread like wildfire and drew backlash online. As the controversy snowballed, former actor Zaira Wasim took to X (formerly Twitter) and strongly opposed the incident.
For the unversed, Zaira Wasim made her Bollywood debut with Aamir Khan's Dangal in 2016. She quit films three years later, in 2019.
Zaira Wasim demands an apology from Nitish Kumar
Zaira Wasim, who is sparsely active on Instagram and X, took to social media to share her thoughts on Nitish Kumar's hijab controversy. She wrote, "A woman’s dignity and modesty are not props to toy with. Least of all on a public stage. As a Muslim woman, watching another woman’s niqab being pulled at so casually, accompanied by that nonchalant smile, was so infuriating. Power does not grant permission to violate boundaries. @NitishKumar owes that woman an unconditional apology (sic)." Take a look:
What is Nitish Kumar's hijab controversy?
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attended an official programme on December 15, during which the hijab incident took place. At the appointment letter distribution ceremony for newly recruited AYUSH doctors, Kumar was seen attempting to pull down the hijab of a Muslim woman doctor, a moment that left several leaders and officials present at the venue visibly stunned.
Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were present at the event, along with Bihar government ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Health Minister Mangal Pandey.
Soon after, a video from the ceremony went viral, triggering backlash and criticism from opposition parties. The clip shows Nitish Kumar handing an appointment letter to a woman, gesturing towards her headscarf and questioning her about it before asking her to remove it. Moments later, he appeared to pull it down himself.
The incident took place at Samvad, the Chief Minister’s secretariat, during a programme where appointment letters were issued to more than 1,000 AYUSH doctors. When Nusrat Parveen, the woman wearing a hijab, stepped forward to receive her letter, witnesses say that the 75-year-old chief minister frowned and asked, “What is this?” As the situation grew tense, an official swiftly moved Parveen aside, while Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, who was standing next to Kumar, was seen tugging at his sleeve, seemingly trying to stop him.
Also read: Zaira Wasim, former actress and Dangal star, gets married; posts pics from nikaah ceremony
