Jharkhand minister offers job to Bihar doctor amid naqab row

The naqab controversy in Bihar has snowballed into a political storm after Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari offered a lucrative job to the woman doctor whose veil was removed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The incident, captured on video, has triggered sharp criticism, with BJP leaders calling it appeasement politics.

Ranchi: Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari on Saturday said he has offered a job with Rs 3 lakh monthly salary, a government flat and desired posting to a woman doctor from Bihar following the naqab controversy during distribution of appointment letters.

Ansari alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tried to demean naqab and the Muslim community by removing the veil of a woman.

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“I have invited the woman doctor to Jharkhand and offered her a job with Rs 3 lakh monthly salary, a flat, desired posting and full security,” he told reporters in Jamtara.

“The way a doctor, and a woman, was humiliated and treated with indecency by pulling her naqab is not merely an attack on one individual but a direct assault on human dignity, honour and the Constitution itself,” he said.

The incident, a video clip of which has been circulated widely and sparked a major political row, took place on Monday at the chief minister’s secretariat in Patna when Ayush doctors had gathered to receive their letters of appointment. When the woman came up for her letter, Kumar saw her naqab, said “what is this?”, and then removed the veil.

Reacting to Ansari’s offer, former BJP legislator Bhanu Pratap Sahi termed it “politics of appeasement”.

In a video post on X, the former Bhawnathpur MLA asked Ansari under which employment policy would he give a job to a doctor from Bihar.

Sahi also asked why doesn’t he give jobs to the sons and daughters of Jharkhand.

“This is the height of appeasement. Jharkhand is for Jharkhandis… Take your decision back,” he said in the video, referring to Ansari.

Meanwhile, a social worker filed a police complaint against Kumar over the incident, an officer said on Saturday.

Mohammad Murtaza Alam, along with some villagers, submitted the complaint with Itki police station on Thursday, he said.

Manish Kumar, officer-in-charge of Itki police station, told PTI that the complaint was filed on the basis of a video purportedly showing Kumar pulling off the naqab of the woman doctor.