Ayush doctor Nusrat Parveen, who was at the centre of a controversy last month after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar removed her veil during a government function, has reported for duty, officials said on Wednesday.
Parveen joined service on the final day of the extended deadline at the Patna Civil Surgeon’s office, Government Tibbi College and Hospital principal Mahfoozur Rahman confirmed. She will be assigned a posting by the civil surgeon’s office, he said.
The deadline for joining had been extended twice — first until December 31 and later until January 7 — after Parveen did not report within the initial time frame. Rahman said she complied within the revised schedule.
Dismissing reports that Parveen had declined to join out of resentment over the incident, the college administration said there had been no such refusal. Rahman noted that Parveen, a former student of the college, remained in touch with the institution.
Earlier, when Parveen missed the original deadline, the principal had said her family wished to avoid sustained media attention and had indicated that she would reconsider her decision.
The controversy dates back to an appointment letter distribution ceremony at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Patna, where Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar interacted with Nusrat Parveen, a newly appointed Ayush doctor. Parveen was wearing a niqab when Kumar, during the exchange, abruptly lowered her veil while remarking, “What is this?”
A video of the incident, which took place in December 2025, quickly went viral, triggering sharp criticism across the political spectrum. Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), denounced the act as an affront to a woman’s dignity and an infringement of religious freedom, with some leaders going as far as demanding the chief minister’s resignation and questioning his mental fitness to hold office.
Parveen reportedly left for Kolkata without reporting for duty on her scheduled joining date, intensifying political debate around the incident. The episode also led to a police complaint and tighter restrictions on media coverage at later government events.
