WATCH: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar pulls down woman's hijab at event; Opposition slams 'vile act'

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sparked controversy after he pulled down a woman doctor's hijab during a government event in state capital Patna. A video of the incident was being widely circulated on social media platforms. In the clip, the 74-year-old Janata Dal (United) chief can be seen handing a certificate to an AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) doctor during an event. Kumar then motions to her to remove her hijab before going on to pull it down, exposing the woman's mouth and chin.

As the incident unfolded, some people could be seen laughing, while Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary appeared to try to stop Kumar. His act has brought the 10-time Bihar chief minister under fire again over his mental health condition -- an issue raised by several opposition leaders before last month's state assembly election. Bihar's main opposition party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), questioned Kumar's behaviour in a post on X. "What has happened to Nitish ji? His mental state has now reached a completely pitiable condition," the party wrote in Hindi. The Congress party called the chief minister's act "shameless" and "vile."

Earlier, weeks ahead of the Bihar election, Kumar had faced flak after a video of him garlanding a woman at a public event went viral. He had also rebuked an MP from his party who had tried to stop him. Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor had repeatedly raised questions about Kumar's mental health and said he was not fit to lead the government. Kumar's JD(U) and its ally BJP swept the Bihar election, winning more than 200 seats in the 243-seat assembly.

ये बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार हैं।

इनकी बेशर्मी देखिए- एक महिला डॉक्टर जब अपना नियुक्ति पत्र लेने आई तो नीतीश कुमार ने उनका हिजाब खींच लिया।

बिहार के सबसे बड़े पद पर बैठा हुआ आदमी सरेआम ऐसी नीच हरकत कर रहा है। सोचिए- राज्य में महिलाएं कितनी सुरक्षित होंगी?

नीतीश कुमार… pic.twitter.com/2AO6czZfAA

— Congress (@INCIndia) December 15, 2025