'What is this?' Nitish Kumar pulls doctor's hijab at event
What's the story
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has landed in controversy after a video of him pulling down a newly recruited AYUSH doctor's hijab went viral. The incident took place at an event where appointment letters were distributed to 1,283 AYUSH doctors. In the video, Kumar is seen gesturing toward the woman's headscarf and asking her to remove it before pulling it down himself, exposing her mouth and chin. The video also shows Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary trying to stop Kumar.
Twitter Post
Watch the video here
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar pulled the veil of a woman while distributing appointment letters to Ayush practitioners. Even Deputy CM tried to stop him. He wouldn't have done this if he was in his sense. There are several such videos of him behaving awkwardly. pic.twitter.com/M3za0FkQFe
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) December 15, 2025
Political backlash
Opposition parties condemn Kumar's actions
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) questioned Kumar's mental state and accused him of becoming "100% Sanghi." Meanwhile, the Congress demanded his resignation over what they called a "despicable act." They wrote on X, "Look at his shamelessness - when a lady doctor came to collect her appointment letter, Nitish Kumar pulled her hijab... Imagine how safe women will be in the state?"
Harassment allegation
Shiv Sena leader labels incident as public harassment
Shiv Sena UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also condemned Kumar's actions, calling it "public harassment." She wrote on X: "This is absolutely condemnable and force pulling a woman's veil down is nothing but public harassment of a woman by the elected CM." Reacting to the video, Deobandi cleric Qari Ishaq Gora said, "On one hand, he talk about women's respect, and on the other, he is insulting a woman. He must apologize, and the Modi government should take action."
Event details
Event attended by over 1,200 AYUSH doctors
The incident took place at 'Samvad,' the CM's secretariat, where appointment letters were distributed to 1,283 AYUSH doctors. The appointees included 685 Ayurveda doctors, 393 Homeopaths and 205 Unani practitioners. While Kumar handed job letters to only 10 appointees at the event, others received them online. Deputy Chief Minister Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, Bihar government ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, and Health Minister Mangal Pandey were present at the event.