No information on doctor refusing job after veil row, says Bihar health minister

Patna/Muzaffarpur, Dec 18 (PTI) Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey on Thursday said he was not aware of reports that a female doctor had refused to join duty following an incident in which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was seen publicly removing the veil from her face.

The senior BJP leader, however, sought to put a lid on the controversy by asserting that the ruling NDA in the state has always worked for empowerment of women (Matri Shakti).

"I have no such information", Pandey said when journalists asked him about reports that the Ayush doctor Nusrat Parveen, who hails from Kolkata, has declined the government job following the unsavoury incident that took place earlier this week.

A section of the media had on Wednesday reported that she had declined the job.

Parveen was among 10 Ayush doctors who had turned up at the chief minister's secretariat on Monday to receive their letters of appointment.

When Parveen's turn came, the 75-year-old CM pointed towards her veil (naqab) and pulled it down, exposing her face.

The incident triggered widespread criticism, including from several West Asian countries, with Nitish Kumar facing allegations of disrespecting Muslim traditions.

However, Pandey insisted, "Women have always been respected by our CM, who has made huge efforts for the empowerment of Matri Shakti".

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Raju Nayyar on Thursday filed a complaint against Kumar and Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad before a local court in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district for allegedly "hurting religious sentiments of Muslim women" by removing the veil from the face of the female doctor by the CM.

In his complaint, Nayyar sought registration of an FIR against them. The court is scheduled to hear the matter on January 18, 2026.

Nishad had sparked a controversy by publicly defending Kumar over the incident. PTI NAC PKD MNB