Video of Bihar CM pulling down hijab of AYUSH doctor sparks political row
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sparked a row on Monday after he was seen removing the hijab (veil) of a newly recruited AYUSH doctor while distributing appointment letters at Samvad, the Chief Minister’s secretariat.
A purported video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, was shared by the opposition parties, including the RJD and the Congress, who questioned the Chief Minister's mental stability.
The flustered appointee was hastily pulled aside by an official standing near the stage, while Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, who stood beside Kumar, was seen tugging at the latter’s sleeve, in an apparent bid to restrain him, reports PTI.
AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar strongly condemned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after a video surfaced showing him attempting to remove the hijab of a Muslim woman during a ceremony distributing appointment letters to 1,283 AYUSH doctors at the Chief Minister's Office.
Kakkar, in a post on X, said, "If a man in power can remove a woman's veil today, who decides tomorrow that my covered arms offend him? Control never stops at one piece of cloth. Equality means consent. Always."
The Congress party, in an official X post, described the incident as "shameless" and called for Kumar's resignation.
The post read, "This is Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. 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 behaviour. This vileness is unforgivable."
Speaking to ANI on Monday, Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat also condemned the act, saying, "I believe that this does not seem appropriate from anywhere. It appears that the Chief Minister is somehow mentally unwell. Such incidents have happened before as well... treating a woman like this is not appropriate; it is condemnable."
Reacting to a video showing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attempting to remove the hijab of a Muslim woman, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi condemned the act.
She said on X post, "It is her dignity and knowledge of being an equal that makes her stand there with the CM to receive the acknowledgement she deserves. No father figure, CM, PM, brother, or husband should be allowed to publicly humiliate an adult, educated woman for her choice of dressing. So please sit down here", reports ANI.
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