A Sitting CM Pulled a Woman’s Hijab. Why Has There Been No Consequence?

The hijab incident has raised serious questions about Nitish Kumar's behaviour and mental health.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

On the afternoon of Monday, 15 December, a programme was underway at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Bihar to distribute appointment letters to 1,283 newly appointed AYUSH doctors. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was personally handing out the letters.

The programme was being streamed live on the Facebook page of the Information and Public Relations Department when, suddenly, the cameraman turned the camera away from the proceedings—and the livestream abruptly stopped. By then, however, it was already too late.

While handing over the appointment letter to a Muslim woman-doctor, Kumar pulled her hijab. This moment was captured on video and streamed live on the Facebook page. That video remained on the page for four minutes after the livestream was cut, sources in the department said.

It was later removed, and a recorded version was uploaded in which the hijab-pulling segment had been edited out. By then, however, the controversial clip had already gone viral across Facebook and other social media platforms.

In the viral clip, Kumar is heard asking the woman, “What is this? Remove this,” before reaching out and pulling her hijab. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, positioned to his left, appears visibly uneasy, while Health Minister Mangal Pandey, standing to his right, is seen smiling.

'Doctor Visibly Shaken, Distressed'

One of the newly appointed AYUSH doctors, who attended the event, told The Quint, “About one and a half dozen newly appointed doctors were selected to go on stage and receive their appointment letters. Out of these, the Chief Minister handed over appointment letters to half a dozen doctors.”

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the doctor added:

“Due to the hijab incident, there was a brief period of commotion, but the Chief Minister still gave a few more appointment letters, and then the programme was hastily brought to a conclusion.”

Following the incident, The Quint has learnt that the Information and Public Relations Department has started exercising additional caution. The department has stopped the live-streaming of government events involving Nitish Kumar on Facebook. Recorded videos are now being uploaded instead.

The affected woman-doctor is currently pursuing her postgraduate studies in Unani medicine at the nearly 100‑year‑old Government Tibbi College and Hospital. Established as the country’s first medical college to offer education in Unani medicine, the institution holds a unique place in India’s medical history.

Another doctor, who is in contact with the affected woman, said on the condition of anonymity: “It is not that she wore a hijab specifically for the programme. She wears a hijab in college as well.”

“She is deeply distressed and visibly shaken. She does not want the matter to receive further media attention, which is why she has chosen not to make any comment.”

Political Backlash

The state’s main Opposition party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), shared the video of the incident on its social media platforms and sharply criticised Kumar. On its Facebook page, the RJD wrote: “What has happened, Nitish? Has his mental condition now reached a completely pathetic state, or has Nitish Babu really become 100 percent Sanghi?”

The Congress party also posted the video on its X handle, saying: “This is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Look at his shamelessness. When a female doctor came to collect her appointment letter, Nitish Kumar pulled off her hijab.”

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Sumaiya Rana filed a complaint against Nitish Kumar at the Kaiserbagh police station in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the incident. Speaking to the media, she said:

“A person holding a constitutional position doing this means that he is encouraging his other workers to do the same.”

However, neither the Bihar government nor the Janata Dal (United), led by Nitish Kumar, has issued any official clarification on the matter.

On the question of criticism by Opposition parties, JDU spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told The Quint: “RJD leaders do politics on social media, but are absent on the ground. They are making personal remarks against Nitish Kumar, which are not worth responding to.”

When asked specifically about the incident, the spokesperson declined to comment directly, saying only that the Opposition was attempting to politicise the matter.

“This one small incident has been made the centre of debate, but there is no discussion about the big work that Nitish Kumar has done. Earlier, no one even knew about AYUSH doctors, but the work Nitish ji has done for them is not being talked about.”

Nitish's 'Abnormal' Behaviour For Two Years

For the past two years, Nitish Kumar has occasionally stirred controversy over his behaviour at public programmes.

In November 2023, during the winter session of the Assembly, Nitish Kumar made a controversial remark while discussing the role of educated women in contraception. At the time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in the Opposition and strongly criticised his statement, demanding an apology.

The National Commission for Women also took cognisance. Later, Nitish Kumar apologised in the Assembly, saying,

“If anyone has been hurt by my words, then I apologise for it. My intention was not to hurt anyone. From the beginning, we have believed that education is very necessary for population control. I have advocated women’s empowerment and development.”

That was perhaps the first incident through which his unusual behaviour drew public attention. Since then, several occasions have reflected similar conduct. During the Lok Sabha elections last year, he remarked at an election programme that Lalu Prasad Yadav, during his tenure, “only produced children.”

In June of the same year, at an NDA meeting in New Delhi, Nitish Kumar attempted to touch the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Later, in November, at another programme in Darbhanga, he again tried to touch the Prime Minister’s feet.

In March this year, during a sports-related programme, he was seen talking and laughing with an officer standing nearby while the national song was being played.

In March, at Bapu Auditorium in Patna, during the inauguration of schemes worth Rs 800 crore by the Central and state governments, dummy cheques were distributed to selected beneficiaries. Among them was a woman who climbed onto the stage to receive her cheque from Union Minister Amit Shah. Unable to locate the camera for a photograph, she was guided by Nitish Kumar, who held her arm and gestured for her to face the camera.

In May, during another government programme, Nitish Kumar was presented with a plant in a flower pot. In a surprising gesture, he placed the pot on the head of IAS officer S Siddharth, drawing attention once again to his unusual conduct.

Questions Raised over Nitish’s Health

These abnormal actions of Nitish Kumar are increasingly being linked to challenges arising from his advancing age and questions over his mental health. Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has repeatedly raised concerns, stating in public programmes that he is not mentally or physically fit to govern Bihar.

Even before Kishor’s remarks, the BJP had also questioned Nitish Kumar’s health. In November 2023, reacting to his comments in the Bihar Assembly on contraception and on appointing Jitan Ram Manjhi as Chief Minister, senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, the late Sushil Modi, said that his statements reflected a troubling state of mind.

“Nitish Kumar’s time to go has now come. Eighteen years is a lot; he should hand over power to someone else and take rest. His mental health is also not fine, and this is the reason that sometimes he is using abusive words about women in a full House, and sometimes he is addressing former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi in an informal ‘tu–taam’ manner. Not only this, at Mahavir Prasad’s programme he was offering flowers on the forehead of Ashok Chaudhary.”

Earlier, Nitish Kumar would regularly interact with the media at the conclusion of government programmes. However, for the past couple of years, he has refrained from giving any media bytes, a journalist, who covers Nitish Kumar, said, adding:

"At government programmes, he remains surrounded by security personnel and leaders, and the media is kept sufficiently away from him."

“He would earlier face uncomfortable questions, even if he chose to sidestep them. But for the past two-and-a-half years, we have seen security personnel keeping media persons at a considerable distance from Nitish Kumar. As programmes draw to a close, the security staff move us further away, preventing any direct interaction with him,” the journalist said.

The JDU has consistently maintained a defensive stance on this issue. Whenever senior party leaders have been questioned about Nitish Kumar’s health, their response has been that he is completely healthy.

During an interview, JDU's Manish Verma described the question itself as the Opposition's propaganda.

“Those who are raising questions on Nitish Kumar’s mental health should see where this very Nitish Kumar has taken their political health,” he said.

On the recent incident, the only Muslim minister from the JDU quota in the Bihar government, Jama Khan, said: “Nitish Kumar is possibly older than that woman’s father. I have a daughter myself, so I understood the gesture as an expression of affection.”

Four days ago, when the media questioned JDU’s working national president Sanjay Jha at a programme in Madhubani about Nitish Kumar’s health, he dismissed the concerns. Jha said the Opposition was spreading “malicious propaganda” suggesting that the Chief Minister was unwell, which he insisted was “completely wrong.”

He pointed out that during the election, Nitish Kumar had undertaken a 650-kilometre road journey in just two days, which, according to him, proved that the Chief Minister was fitter than the leader of the opposition party.

Experts believe that the JDU leadership should avoid its ostrich-like approach regarding Nitish Kumar’s health. Pushpendra, a professor of social work at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Mumbai), told The Quint:

“Because of some of Nitish Kumar’s actions, questions are being raised about his mental health, but from the JDU side this is continuously being denied. At the same time, Nitish Kumar is becoming a subject of ridicule because of his actions. In such a situation, it would be appropriate that a medical team be formed to examine his health and after the examination a medical bulletin be issued, so that rumours can be put to rest.”

Meanwhile, Dr Santosh Kumar Singh, secretary of the Bihar unit of the Indian Medical Association, defended Nitish Kumar. He said:

“This should be seen as a normal incident only. No hidden motive is visible in this. Nitish Kumar’s behaviour was normal. If he had done it with wrong intentions, it would have been a different matter.”

The author is a Bihar-based journalist. This article was first published in Hindi. It has been translated by Rahat Ul Aien. Read the original article here.