Niqab Row: Lady Doctor's Family Clarifies She Will Join Duty On Saturday

Patna: Days after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar landed in a controversy by trying to pull down the niqab of Dr Nusrat Parveen while handing her the appointment letter for government service, her family on Friday clarified she would join duty on Saturday.

Dr Parveen's family also denied any resentment towards the Chief Minister over the incident which led to resentment among various quarters across the country. Dr Mahfazur Rahman, Principal of Government Tibbi College, stated that Dr Parveen has made it clear that she will join duty on Saturday morning.

"Dr Nusrat Parveen received her Unani education from the Government Tibbi College in Patna and is to join the same college as an Ayush doctor. Dr Nusrat has expressed her desire to avoid large media gatherings when joining duty. She says she wants to resume her duties peacefully," he said.

A classmate and close friend of Dr Parveen also confirmed that she will join duty on Saturday. Nitish landed in trouble during a function to distribute appointment letters to 1,283 Ayush doctors. While handing over the appointment letter to Dr Parveen, the Chief Minister tried to pull down her niqab.

A short video from the event soon went viral, showing the Chief Minister asking Dr Nusrat to remove her hijab and then attempting to remove it himself. It drew sharp reactions from both national and international media.

Opposition parties also criticized Nitish and a Pakistani national even issued a threat to him. Subsequently, several media reports claimed that Dr Parveen, angered by this incident, had fled to Kolkata and would not accept the appointment.

As the controversy escalated, Health Department officials were instructed from the Chief Minister's residence to contact Dr Parveen and ask her to join duty as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Dr Parveen's husband stated he had no resentment towards the Chief Minister and that the matter was being unnecessarily blown out of proportion.

Also Read

Hijab Row: Bihar Health Minister Unaware Of Doctor's Refusal To Join Duty