Is Nitish Kumar in his senses? Is he fit to hold Bihar CM's office?

Uncomfortable questions are being raised after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulled down the veil from the face of an Aayush doctor, while handing her an appointment letter at a function in the CM’s secretariat in Patna on Monday.

What shocked people even more was the smile on the chief minister’s face as he said something to her before suddenly extending his arm to pull down her veil before she realised what was happening. Deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary and an unidentified official tried too late to restrain him.

More than 24 hours after the shocking incident, neither the chief minister nor the Janata Dal (United) had extended any apology or voiced their regret for the incident.

The chief minister himself went about his official programme and moved out of the state capital to attend to other official programmes. The state government too has been quiet, hoping undoubtedly that the incident would be soon forgotten.

There have been stray voices which sought to justify the conduct by pointing out that the 75-year-old chief minister meant well and that it was more of an affectionate gesture from a father-like figure. A well-known TV anchor Chitra Tripathi added to the public outrage when she commented that there was nothing wrong in the chief minister asking the woman to remove the veil and face the cameras with confidence.

“Nitish Kumar pulling down the lady’s face covering surely looks harsh. But honestly I see a father figure trying, albeit clumsily to tell a young doctor that she doesn’t need to hide her face, she belongs there with dignity and equal standing!” tweeted Nabila Jamal, executive editor of TV9 network, inviting strong condemnation from others.

“What Nitish did was not just a violation of her right to wear a hijab but also an intrusion into her personal space. He appears unfit for the office. Needs psychological assessment,” was one of the reactions on X.

“As a woman I would hate for a man to push my hair back or my hat or my head scarf or touch my face without my consent. I'd hate it if they did that to a child even,” read another.

“A woman’s dignity and modesty are not props to toy with. Least of all on a public stage. As a Muslim woman, watching another woman’s naqab being pulled at so casually, accompanied by that nonchalant smile, was so infuriating. Power does not grant permission to violate boundaries,” commented yet another woman.

Most people agreed that the conduct was unbecoming of the chief minister of a state and the display reeked of the arrogance of power and patriarchy. This is not the first time though that Nitish Kumar has invited outrage due to his unpredictable behaviour in public, when he garlanded a woman who tried her best to avoid being garlanded on one occasion.

He had also dropped his inhibitions on other occasions while holding up women by placing his arm round their shoulder or just shoving them away.

The unfortunate incident has attracted the attention of several minority organisations too and they say they feel insulted. Would the chief minister have dared to pull down the ‘pallu’ of a Hindu woman or tug at the sari worn by an upper-caste woman, they asked.

By not extending an immediate apology and, by all accounts, not reaching out to the lady doctor to seek her forgiveness, the chief minister may well be paying a heavier political price.