Row over Nitish pulling doctor’s hijab continues to simmer – in Jharkhand more than Bihar

Ansari, meanwhile, sought an apology from Kumar. He said he was in constant touch with the doctor and her family, and said the Congress and the state government would stand with her. The JMM and Congress are allies in Jharkhand.

Naz said that misuse of office by a public servant attracts criminal liability, and the law applies equally to ministers, legislators and officials.

“While ministers take oaths to uphold the Constitution, there is no legal provision allowing them to directly offer jobs or assure postings outside established recruitment processes. Such announcements are unconstitutional and against service rules,” she said.

She questioned why families of children who allegedly died due to negligence or lack of ambulances were not offered similar support, and demanded transparency over claims of compensation being paid from the minister’s own salary.

Naz also accused Ansari of focusing on rhetoric while Jharkhand’s public health system remained under strain, citing ambulance shortages, alleged medical negligence, unsafe blood transfusions and poor utilisation of the state’s health budget.

“The people of Jharkhand need a functioning and accountable health system, not statements and symbolism,” she said.

Defending his announcement, Ansari said that during crises, humanitarian considerations override rules and procedures. “When a crisis comes, people do not look at the rulebook. Being the health minister, it is my duty and under my jurisdiction…I have the power and the authority,” he said, adding that the Jharkhand government was already appointing specialist doctors on salaries of up to Rs 3 lakh per month to serve in rural areas.

He said that an insult to women, irrespective of religion or location, would be opposed. “The Congress will fight for her dignity. No one has the right to outrage a woman’s modesty,” 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.