Union textile minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday rubbed salt into the wound of a newly appointed doctor in Bihar who has reportedly refused to join the state service after chief minister Nitish Kumar tried to pull down her veil at a government event earlier this week.

“Woh refuse kare ya jahannum mein jaye (She can refuse or go to hell),” Singh told reporters on the Parliament premises when asked about the doctor’s reported decision not to take up the job.

The remarks relate to an incident at a government event in Patna earlier this week, where appointment letters were distributed to over 1,200 ayush doctors. Nitish was seen in a viral video pulling down the hijab of a Muslim doctor while handing her an appointment letter.

The doctor, Nusrat Parveen, was wearing a headscarf when she stepped onto the stage to receive the letter. The chief minister reportedly asked her to remove the veil, and when she hesitated, he pulled it down himself. The video showed the woman appearing visibly uncomfortable and shocked.

The incident drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties and Muslim leaders. The ruling JDU and the BJP, however, defended Nitish, arguing that the chief minister merely wanted society to see the face of a “successful daughter”.

Dr Parveen has not made any public statement since the incident. However, her brother was quoted by a news portal as saying that she was “determined not to join the service”.

“All family members, including me, are trying to convince her otherwise. We are telling her that it is the fault of the other person, so why should she suffer because of it?” he was quoted as saying.

Amid the backlash, Singh strongly defended Nitish, asserting that the chief minister had done nothing wrong.

“If someone goes to take an appointment letter, should they not show their face? Is this an Islamic nation?” Singh told reporters. “When you go to get a passport or go to the airport, do you not show your face? This is India, and only Indian laws will apply here. Nitishji was acting like a guardian.”

As reporters asked him what would happen if the doctor refused to join, Singh said before walking away: “She can refuse or go to hell.”

The comments drew a sharp reaction from Iltija Mufti, daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. Iltija wrote on X: “Only phenyl will work to clean this man’s filthy mouth. You dare not touch the hijabs and naqaabs of our Muslim mothers and sisters. Otherwise, we Muslim women will teach you a lesson you and your ilk will remember.”

Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday demanded an apology from Nitish. On Singh’s comment, he said: “One cannot expect anything different from the BJP.”

Nitish, 74, who has faced questions of late over his health and mental acuity, has been involved in several controversial public episodes.

In November 2023, he made explicit remarks and gestures in the Bihar Assembly while speaking on population control and women’s education, later apologising for what he acknowledged were “crass” and “misogynistic” comments.

Last year, he was seen placing a flower pot on the head of a senior government official during a public interaction. Another time, he was caught on camera talking and laughing with his principal secretary during the national anthem at a public event.