Meanwhile, Jharkhand Health Minister offers her ‘a government position with a monthly salary of Rs 3 lakh, along with government accommodation and a preferred posting’
The doctor whose hijab was pulled down by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar earlier this week during a public event did not report for her assigned duty on Saturday.
The doctor was scheduled to report to the Sabalpur Community Health Centre (CHC) under Patna Sadar by 6 pm on Saturday. However, according to official sources, she did not show up at the designated time.
The official added, “Saturday was the final deadline for her to join, and if a revised date is issued by the Health Department to extend the joining date, those instructions will be complied with accordingly.” The doctor was not available for comment.
The issue has drawn criticism both inside and outside the state. On Saturday, Dr Irfan Ansari, the Health Minister of Jharkhand, while condemning the actions of the Bihar CM, offered the doctor “a government position in Jharkhand with a monthly salary of Rs 3 lakh, along with government accommodation and a preferred posting”. “I am a doctor first, and then a minister. What happened has hurt the entire medical fraternity and will send the wrong message to India,” he said.
The controversy surrounding the doctor began on December 15, when she was handed her appointment letter by the CM. Video footage of the appointment ceremony went viral when the CM, noticing her hijab, remarked, “What is this?” and pulled down the veil.
The incident sparked a political row, with critics accusing the CM of overstepping his boundaries. While the RJD and the Congress in the state questioned his mental state, some of the sharpest criticism came from Jammu and Kashmir, including its CM Omar Abdullah. The JD(U), however, said Nitish should be judged not by a “flash incident” but by all he has done for women and Muslims.
The appointment letter, issued by the AYUSH department, is part of a standard process wherein candidates must first report to the Civil Surgeon’s office for document verification. Following this, they are assigned a posting at a Community Health Centre (CHC).
The incident has also drawn a reaction from Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who, speaking to reporters on Saturday, said, “It pains me to hear the word ‘dispute’ in this case. Can there be any row between a father and a daughter?”
Khan, who referred to the CM’s action as a fatherly gesture, questioned the nature of the controversy, emphasising that Kumar had treated the doctor with the same respect as he would a daughter. “What have you people made out of it? This man considers female students as his daughters,” Khan said.(IE)
