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A female doctor whose hijab was pulled down by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at a government event has decided not to join government service, despite recently receiving her appointment letter, her family said.
Nusrat Parveen was among the hijab-wearing women attending the Samvad event in Patna, where a widely shared video shows Kumar pulling down her face covering while handing her a certificate.
Parveen was scheduled to join the service on Dec. 20.
The incident angered many Pakistani Muslims, as they cited many human rights violations against the large Muslim population in the country.
One Pakistani mafia member, Shehzad Bahatti, released a video threatening Kumar if he does not apologize.
Bahatti said that the Chief Minister still had time to apologize to the woman and warned that if an apology was not issued immediately, 'responsible institutions' should take action.
“She is determined not to join the service. However, all family members, including me, are trying to convince her otherwise,” Parveen’s brother told eNewsroom. “We are telling her that it is the fault of the other person, so why should she feel bad or suffer because of it?”
Parveen’s brother, who is based in Kolkata, is a professor at a government law university. Her husband is a clinical psychologist working at a college.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage after the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s official X account shared the video clip, which quickly went viral. A large number of social media users, particularly women, criticized Kumar for what they described as inappropriate conduct.
In one widely circulated post, RJD questioned Kumar’s mental state, asking whether his condition had “completely deteriorated” or whether he had become “100% Sanghi,” a reference to members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The Congress party also condemned Kumar’s actions and demanded his resignation.
In a post on X, the party said the chief minister had “openly indulged in such a vile act” and questioned women’s safety in Bihar. “Nitish Kumar should immediately resign for this disgusting behavior,” the party said.
More than a day after the video surfaced, neither Kumar nor his Janata Dal (United) party nor the Bihar government has addressed the matter.
The controversy has drawn sharp political reactions across party lines. On a television special report, BJP lawmaker Aparajita Sarangi defended the chief minister, calling the act “absolutely innocuous” and saying Kumar merely wanted the woman “to show her face to the world.”
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi condemned the incident, saying, “Being publicly humiliated like this is absolutely unforgivable.”
Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury termed the act “criminal” and questioned Kumar’s conduct.
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