Amid mounting outrage over Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar forcibly removing the hijab of a Muslim woman doctor at a government event, seven Muslim organisations have issued a joint statement demanding a public apology from the Chief Minister.
The incident took place on Monday at an official programme at the CM’s Secretariat in Patna, where Kumar was distributing appointment letters to newly recruited AYUSH doctors. As a woman doctor stepped forward wearing a hijab, Kumar pulled down her veil in full public view, an act that was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
The controversy deepened after Union Minister Giriraj Singh and Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad defended the Chief Minister’s conduct. Singh said Kumar had “not done anything wrong,” adding, “If someone is going to collect an appointment letter, shouldn’t their face be visible? Is this an Islamic country?”
In a strongly worded joint statement, the seven Muslim bodies—Imarat-e-Shariah (Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand), Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (Bihar), Jamaat Ulema-e-Hind (Bihar-A), Jamaat Ulema-e-Hind (Bihar-M), Idara Shariyah (Dr Fariyad Amanullah), All India Muslim Conference (Bihar), and Majlis-e-Ulama Khutaba Imamiyah (Shia community)—condemned Kumar’s action as “an insult to the hijab and to the dignity and chastity of the woman.”
The organisations said the issue had nothing to do with identity verification or security. “The woman had already been verified before being called on stage. This act was a public humiliation,” the statement said. It added that for Muslim women, the hijab is not merely clothing but an expression of religious identity, dignity, and self-respect.
Maulana Mufti Mohammad Sayeedur Rehman Qasmi, Secretary of Bhawan-e-Sharia of Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, also condemned the incident. “Purdah is the respect of women and society. Removing a woman’s hijab in public is an insult to women. We condemn this in the strongest terms. The Chief Minister must apologise,” he said.
The Muslim organisations demanded that Nitish Kumar apologise not only to the woman doctor but to all women of Bihar. “Any interference with a woman’s hijab on a public platform is unacceptable. Such acts violate women’s dignity and religious freedom and harm the collective sense of security,” the statement said.
They also warned that such behaviour from a constitutional authority could embolden others to disrespect women, potentially creating serious law-and-order concerns in the future.
AIMIM’s Bihar president, Akhtarul Iman, also criticised the Chief Minister, saying Kumar failed to uphold the dignity of his office. While condemning the act, Iman cautioned that such incidents should not be normalised or allowed to influence public behaviour. He also expressed concern over Kumar’s conduct, citing previous instances of “bizarre” behaviour.
Opposition parties, including the RJD and Congress, have also attacked Kumar, sharing the video online and questioning his conduct and mental fitness. Meanwhile, leaders of the ruling Janata Dal (United) have defended the Chief Minister, claiming he acted like a “father figure” and had no ill intent.
