A woman doctor whose naqab was removed by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar during an appointment letter distribution programme earlier this week is yet to join duty, officials said on Saturday, even as the incident continued to trigger political reactions and legal action.
Government Tibbi College & Hospital principal Mahfoozur Rahman said, “Today is the last day of her joining, but the government may consider extending the date as a special case.”
Rahman confirmed that Ayush doctor Nusrat Praveen has not reported for duty so far. “Ayush doctor Nusrat Praveen has not joined yet, and there is no update on her future course of action,” he said.
According to him, the family has conveyed its concerns over public attention following the episode. “Nusrat's family said that they want to escape media coverage, and that the woman doctor will rethink whether to join or not,” Rahman added.
The incident took place on Monday at the chief minister’s secretariat in Patna, where Ayush doctors had gathered to receive their letters of appointment.
When the woman doctor approached the stage, Kumar noticed her naqab, asked “what is this?”, and then removed the veil. A video clip of the moment circulated widely, sparking a political row.
The controversy drew a response from Jharkhand health minister Irfan Ansari, who on Saturday said he had offered the woman doctor a job in Jharkhand.
Ansari said the offer included a Rs 3 lakh monthly salary, a government flat and a posting of her choice.
“I have invited the woman doctor to Jharkhand and offered her a job with Rs 3 lakh monthly salary, a flat, desired posting and full security,” Ansari told reporters in Jamtara.
He alleged that the Bihar chief minister had tried to demean the naqab and the Muslim community.
“The way a doctor and a woman was humiliated and treated with indecency by pulling her naqab is not merely an attack on one individual but a direct assault on human dignity, honour and the Constitution itself,” he said.
The matter has also reached the police. A social worker has filed a complaint against Kumar over the incident. Mohammad Murtaza Alam, along with some villagers, submitted the complaint at the Itki police station on Thursday.
Manish Kumar, officer-in-charge of Itki police station, told PTI that the complaint was filed on the basis of a video purportedly showing Kumar pulling off the naqab of the woman doctor.