Patna: A young Muslim doctor has left Bihar and returned to her family home in Kolkata after an incident at a government appointment ceremony in which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was seen removing her hijab, an episode that has sparked controversy and drawn sharp political reactions.
The incident took place on December 15 during a programme in Patna where appointment letters were being distributed to newly recruited Ayush doctors. According to accounts from those familiar with the matter, the doctor, Nusrat Parveen, left the state the following day and has since decided not to join her government posting for the time being.
Speaking to journalists, senior West Bengal-based journalist Shehnawaz Akhtar, who is close to Parveen’s family, said she had been deeply distressed since the incident. “She is in shock and unable to come to terms with what happened,” he said, adding that her family had left the decision of returning to Bihar and joining the job entirely to her.
Parveen reportedly told her family that while she did not believe the chief minister had acted with malicious intent, the moment left her feeling humiliated. “There were many people present, some of whom were laughing. As a woman, it felt deeply uncomfortable,” she was quoted as saying. She added that she had worn the hijab throughout her schooling and medical training and had never previously faced such an experience.
The episode has drawn wider attention after videos circulated on social media showing Kumar gesturing towards the hijab and briefly removing it, while Bihar’s deputy chief minister, Samrat Choudhary, appeared to intervene by pulling the chief minister’s sleeve. Parveen appeared visibly uncomfortable before being ushered away by officials.
Since then, media access to several of the chief minister’s public events has reportedly been restricted, including a two-day administrative workshop in Gaya, which was not live-streamed on the ruling Janata Dal (United) party’s official platforms.
Parveen’s family has said they continue to encourage her to reconsider her decision, stressing that responsibility for the incident does not lie with her. However, those close to her say she remains uncertain about returning to Bihar, describing lingering fear and emotional distress.
The Bihar government has not issued a detailed public response addressing the incident or Parveen’s decision to leave the state.
