Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
By Alok Mohit
Patna: The controversy surrounding Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over an incident involving a Muslim woman doctor’s hijab at an official function has escalated beyond the domestic boundaries with a Pakistan-based gangster releasing a video demanding a public apology and issuing a veiled threat.
The row stems from a government programme held in Bihar capital Patna, where Nitish Kumar was distributing appointment letters to over 1,000 newly recruited AYUSH doctors (practitioners of traditional Indian medicine systems like Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy). During the event, a woman doctor, identified as Nusrat Parveen, approached the stage wearing a hijab. Video footage that later went viral showed the Chief Minister allegedly expressing displeasure, asking about the hijab and gesturing for it to be removed. In the clip, the woman appears visibly uncomfortable and is soon escorted away from the stage by officials. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who was present on the dais, is seen attempting to intervene.
The incident triggered sharp reactions across the political spectrum and on social media. While opposition parties accused the Chief Minister of insensitivity and violation of constitutional values, leaders of the ruling coalition, NDA, sought to downplay the incident, saying it was being exaggerated for political gain.
The controversy took a more serious turn after a video message attributed to Shahzad Bhatti, a Pakistani national with alleged links to the underworld, began circulating widely online. In the video, Bhatti is seen condemning the Chief Minister’s alleged conduct and calling for a public apology to the woman doctor. In a warning tone, he claimed the incident was seen “by the entire world” and asserted that a person holding a high constitutional position behaved inappropriately with a Muslim woman. He went to add that if an apology was not issued, “responsible institutions” should take action. Bhatti concluded his message with the remark that no one should later claim they were not warned. The authenticity of the video has not been independently verified.
Bhatti, a resident of Pakistan’s Punjab province, frequently posts provocative content on social media, projecting himself as a “soldier” of Islam and Pakistan. He has previously been mentioned in news reports for issuing threats to Indians with criminal antecedents and is alleged to have links with transnational crime networks. A public threat by a foreign-based gangster against the chief minister of an Indian state has raised concerns beyond routine political controversy, touching upon law-and-order and national security dimensions.
So far, there has been no official response from the Bihar government or the Chief Minister’s Office regarding the threat video. Security agencies have also not issued a public statement, though sources indicate that the development is being closely monitored.
Meanwhile, Nusrat Parveen, the woman doctor at the centre of the controversy, has reportedly decided not to join her government job. Her brother told a television channel that she was under severe mental distress following the “public humiliation” and had made up her mind to stay away from the service. He, however, said family members were trying to persuade her not to abandon her career for a mistake that was not hers.
About the Author
