Bihar Chief Minister Removed Muslim Doctor’s Hijab at Ceremony
Key Takeaways
- Opposition parties condemn act as disrespectful to religious and personal boundaries
- Nitish Kumar removed hijab from doctor during official appointment ceremony
- Incident occurred at public event distributing 1,000+ AYUSH appointment letters
PATNA — Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has drawn severe criticism after video showed him removing the hijab from a Muslim doctor during an official appointment ceremony Monday.
The incident occurred at Patna’s Bapu Sabhagar auditorium where Kumar was distributing appointment letters to over 1,000 AYUSH practitioners.
Footage circulating on social media shows the 74-year-old chief minister reaching toward Dr. Nusrat Parveen’s face veil as she approached to receive her appointment letter.
The doctor appeared visibly uncomfortable and recoiled from the gesture, which drew uneasy applause from attendees.
Opposition parties responded sharply to the incident. The Congress party described the act as “utterly disrespectful,” while the Rashtriya Janata Dal and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen accused Kumar of repeated judgment lapses.
The controversy has sparked particular concern within Bihar’s Muslim community, which constitutes approximately 20 percent of the state’s population and represents a key voting bloc for Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) party.
Nitish Kumar, sworn in for a record tenth term as chief minister on November 20, 2025, after leading the NDA coalition to a landslide victory in Bihar’s assembly elections.
