Days ahead of the incident where Bihar CM Nitesh Kumar pulled down the niqab of a woman doctor, she did not appear for her assigned duty on Saturday, officials said.
She was supposed to join the Sabalpur Community Health Centre (CHC) under Patna Sadar by 6 pm, but she did not show up at the scheduled time.
“Saturday was the final deadline for her to join. If the Health Department issues a revised date extending the joining period, those instructions will be followed accordingly,” an official said.
The incident occurred during a government function in Patna, where appointment letters were being distributed to newly recruited AYUSH doctors. A Muslim woman doctor, identified in media reports as an AYUSH appointee wearing a niqab, was on stage to receive her appointment letter from the Chief Minister when the episode took place.
During the interaction, Nitish Kumar is seen gesturing toward the woman’s face covering, indicating that she should lower it. Before she can respond, he reaches out and pulls the veil down himself, exposing her mouth and chin in full public view as officials and staff look on.
Amnesty International described it as an “assault on her dignity and identity.” It highlighted that no one with power or authority has the power to remove someone’s clothes.
In her complaint to the Kothibagh Station House Officer (SHO), Mufti sought the registration of an FIR against the Chief Minister, stating that the incident had caused “immense stress” among Muslim women.
“The forceful stripping of her naqaab isn’t just a brutal assault on a Muslim lady but on the autonomy, identity & dignity of every Indian woman. The fact that it transpired at a time when the deliberate othering and political & economic disempowerment of Muslims all across India is even more disconcerting,” Mufti said.
