- 7 weeks ago
In this debate on India Today, anchor Preeti Choudhry discusses the controversy surrounding Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was caught on camera pulling the hijab of a woman doctor, Dr. Nusrat Parveen, during an appointment letter distribution ceremony in Patna. The incident, which occurred on December 15, 2025, has sparked outrage. JDU leader Satya Prakash Mishra defends the act as a 'fatherly gesture' aimed at women's empowerment, claiming the CM's intent was 'pious'. However, RJD National Spokesperson Priyanka Bharti condemns the incident as a 'blot on democracy', asserting that 'authority must kneel before dignity'. Women's rights activist Saira Shah Halim argues that the act constitutes 'prima facie molestation' under Indian law and violates Article 21 and Article 25 of the Constitution. The panel debates the boundaries of public conduct and the necessity of a public apology from the Chief Minister.
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00:00Sometimes there is political hypocrisy, at other times there is also social hypocrisy that lies amongst us.
00:06Just imagine if this was a woman who had a ghungat on and if this was a chief minister of a state that was not an NDA chief minister.
00:15What would have been the backlash of that?
00:18Why is today the government silent that takes us to the question that we ask, which really isn't a question.
00:24Should Nitish Kumar apologize publicly is the question we ask.
00:29Once again, it's a rhetorical question because there is only one answer to this.
00:35And that is, yes, Nitish Kumar needs to make a public apology and it needs to come quick and it needs to come fast.
00:43I want to cut across right now to Satya Prakash Mishra, J.D.U. leader, Priyanka Bharti, R.J.D. National Spokesperson, Saira Shahalim, Women's Rights Activist.
00:51I would like to begin with the J.D.U. spokesperson, Mr. Satya Prakash Mishra.
00:56All three of you will get two minutes each to put your points forward.
00:59Mr. Mishra, today I would think there is only, even being a journalist, being a woman, being a citizen of this country,
01:09I will only accept one explanation for what happened and that is that there is something wrong with the help of the chief minister of Bihar.
01:19Nothing else can explain somebody who occupies a public office of a chief minister to do what he has done.
01:28You know, Pritiji, when you last time saw Nitish Kumar or any other chief minister in Bihar offer appointment later to a Muslim girl,
01:37when you last time saw that, he must be credited with one thing, empowerment of women.
01:44Something at certain point of time, a fatherly figure, if it's so a kind of gesture, have a photograph like this.
01:53I think there should not be much peep and much reading inside this whole episode.
01:58And Nitish Kumar, regarding you, talked about health and everything, he is performing well inside the assembly, he is performing well everywhere.
02:07So it's only outside that he is not performing well?
02:10I couldn't get you.
02:11So it's only outside that he is not performing well?
02:13No, no, no, he is performing well inside the assembly, he is performing well on the street, road, everything he is investigating, he is appearing in all kind of ceremony.
02:21I am going to stop your watch and I am going to come back to you.
02:23I am going to give you more time.
02:24I am just putting one more line.
02:25I am going to give you more time.
02:26One more line I have.
02:27Are you, are you, are you, are you, Sathya Prakash Mishra, you represent the J.D.U., are you going to sit here and are you going to justify what you see on your television screen?
02:32I am, I am, I am just saying, I am just saying, I am just saying, a fatherly figure, a fatherly figure, you are calling it a fatherly conduct.
02:39Let me also remind you, in this country, after the age of 18, if a woman chooses, if, if, if, if you are very much judgmental, that it is your judgment.
02:46It's not judgment, sir.
02:47Why, why you didn't show the picture of Ashok Gehlok?
02:49Hear me out.
02:50Why you didn't show the video of Ashok Gehlok?
02:52Do not get into what about you.
02:53Do not get into what about you.
02:55If you are going to sit here, a woman who is over the age of 18 years of age, a woman who is over the age of 18 years of age, even her father cannot, even her father cannot remove her hijab because he feels she should reveal her face.
03:13Do I agree with this?
03:14I don't agree with covering your face, but she has every right to do so and nobody in the world, nobody in the world has the right to grab her hijab off.
03:22You made your point.
03:23Let me make my point now.
03:24Stop screaming, sir.
03:25You have your point.
03:25No, I am not screaming.
03:26You are not letting me speak.
03:28You are screaming.
03:28You are.
03:28If you are here to judgment, then okay, go ahead.
03:31It is your channel, your camera, your light.
03:33You go on.
03:33Satya Prakash, Mishra.
03:34I don't have chance to.
03:35Satya Prakash, Mishra.
03:36No, no, you didn't give me a chance to complete my point, ma'am.
03:37If you are talking about judgment, yes, we are sitting here in judgment, sir, with what has happened now.
03:41Make your point.
03:42If you are delivering a judgment, I have suggested it's a fatherly gesture, nothing else.
03:46You don't peep much into this whole episode.
03:48But you didn't talk about Asok Gallo, who was in a public ceremony, unwielding woman, ki ghoongat pratha khatam ho gya, ghoongat utaro.
03:55Why don't you show that?
03:57I am suggesting only one thing.
03:59Nitesh Kumar ji, as a fatherly figure, just did that.
04:03That's it.
04:04He was offering appointment letter, a moment of happiness for the women of Bihar.
04:08This is the first time I saw a Muslim woman taking certificate and appointment letter from the chief minister himself.
04:14That is the empowerment of women of Bihar.
04:17Nitesh Kumar has a wonder in empowering women in Bihar.
04:20He should be credited with that first.
04:22Suppose you criticize this.
04:24I welcome your criticism.
04:25We welcome criticism.
04:27We don't mind to being criticized.
04:29But at the same point of time, there is nothing much more about this.
04:33Simple.
04:33Are you the one who is going to decide whether it's more or not, sir?
04:38This dystopian understanding of what empowerment means, Mr. Satya Prakash Mishra, is the point that you are sitting, either you let me talk or you talk.
04:48No, no, you talk.
04:49You are a very seasoned journalist.
04:51I respect you a lot.
04:52I have a huge respect for your judgment even.
04:55I am ready to be criticized.
04:56It is a dystopian way of defining what empowerment really means if you are going to come and sit here and say, there is not much to it.
05:04This is fatherly.
05:05Fatherly gesture, that's it.
05:07This is the chief minister of a state who has invaded the public space of a woman.
05:12I want to cut across to Priyanka Bharti, RJD national spokesperson.
05:15Priyanka Bharti, even though this has become political, and mind you, Mr. Satya Prakash Mishra, when it had happened with Ashok Gelawad, we had ran multiple shows.
05:24Should Ghoongat be there?
05:26No.
05:26Should women cover their face?
05:27Personally, I don't think so.
05:29I don't agree with it.
05:30But should they be allowed to do it?
05:32Definitely.
05:33Because that's what they want to do.
05:35Whoever chooses to.
05:36Priyanka Bharti, one second, sir.
05:38Your two minutes begin now.
05:39It's not the first time it's happened.
05:41You had the likes of Ashok Gelawad, who've done it earlier.
05:43So, much ado about nothing.
05:45He just meant well, is the argument.
05:48Two wrongs cannot make one thing right.
05:50And today, Preeti ji, I will speak out of my constitutional duty.
05:54It's not just because I have differences, political or ideological differences with Mr. Kumar.
05:59It's morality to speak against what happened.
06:02This incident is a blot on democracy.
06:04In any democratic country, authority must kneel before dignity.
06:09Power must kneel before consent and dignity.
06:12And this, at least, he has to understand.
06:14We have two scenarios.
06:16If the first scenario, if Nitish Kumar ji is not mentally sound, then he does not even deserve to be a representative constitutionally.
06:24And on the other hand, if he is mentally sound and he has done so, whatever he did, pulling out the veil of a woman, then actions must be taken against him.
06:34And not only this, I mean, just come to the basics.
06:38If any leader, any leader violates boundaries, even casually, what message is he imparting to the society?
06:45What message is he giving to any bureaucrat sitting in the office, to a policeman on the street, to any man in this country?
06:52What message is he giving?
06:53That you can easily pull the veil of a woman?
06:55It doesn't matter.
06:56Fatherly gesture hai, it doesn't matter.
06:58Fatherly gesture hai, this kind of attitude cannot be tolerated.
07:03Dignity of a woman is non-negotiable.
07:06Either be in Bihar, or be in India, or in the world.
07:09This, he has to understand.
07:11And this is not for the first time that it's happening.
07:13There have been multiple episodes which we have seen.
07:16And making the things even worse.
07:19If you, I don't know, you got the opportunity to hear the video of Sanjay Nishad or not.
07:24Sanjay Nishad is saying,
07:25Aadmi hi to hai, nakap chhulia to kya hua kahi, or chhude to to pata nahi ap lo kya kar de de de.
07:30So this is the sheer audacity of this hyper-masculine behavior, this sexism, this misogyny.
07:36I don't know what to say more about this incident.
07:39This has to be criticized.
07:40And Mr. Kumar has to apologize at least to the women community.
07:45Not only to the women, to the citizens of this country.
07:48He has to apologize for his behavior.
07:50Because you see, any...
07:51Okay, ma'am, your time is up.
07:52I want to bring in Saira Shah Haleem, women's rights activist.
07:56Saira Shah Haleem, you know, the fact is, many would suggest that why be so skittish about this.
08:02It had happened earlier that you had an Ashok Geloth who tried to pull the veil of a woman saying that Gungat Pratha is over.
08:09That time, even then, there was a fair amount, and it should have been their criticism.
08:14We ran a show on it that, yes, Gungat Pratha is over.
08:17But having said that, it is invading the personal space of a woman.
08:22You...
08:22Absolutely.
08:24Go ahead.
08:24So, you know, I just heard this very emotional talk, you know, by my co-panelists.
08:29Because let's not get into the emotions of it.
08:31Let's talk about law.
08:33Straight and final, let's talk about the law.
08:35Now, firstly, forcing a woman to remove bodily clothing, right?
08:41Something that is very intrinsic to her faith, without her consent, let us be very clear on her, that it is prima facie molestation under the Indian law.
08:51I cannot think of any other term asides, you know, that it's considered molestation under the Indian law.
08:59And now it is just not about ideology, right-wing, left-wing, whatever it is.
09:04It is IPC, clear and simple.
09:06And the moment a man who's in power, and here it's the chief minister at that, right, touches the woman's body or her attire without her consent, okay?
09:17Here we need to bring in the law because the law gets triggered.
09:21Because here, just because someone happens to be a CM or someone in authority, it does not dilute the crime.
09:28Let us be very clear.
09:29So, it is not about hijab alone.
09:32It is about bodily consent, bodily autonomy of a woman.
09:36That we need to take very, very seriously.
09:39And Article 21 is very clear about that.
09:42It guarantees dignity.
09:44Okay, Article 21 to every, you know, human being.
09:48Article 25 is very clearly states that freedom of religion is a must, okay?
09:54So, this act of, you know, Mr. Kumar, it violates, you know, both simultaneously.
10:01And the Constitution does not permit public officials to become moral vigilants.
10:07Like, why is she wearing the hijab?
10:09Why is she wearing a niqab?
10:10Let's just pull it off.
10:11And, you know, he's smirking.
10:14The bystanders are smirking and they're having a good laugh at their expense.
10:17I think I've not seen something more horrendous than this in a very, very long time.
10:23Because here, let's be clear that the Constitution does not come off when a hijab comes off.
10:30Okay, I want to give you your last two, two minutes each.
10:32I want to give you the last two, two minutes each.
10:33And I just want to play the clip.
10:35Because there might be people who are smiling on the side, you know, awkwardly.
10:40But, and I'll bring in the spokesperson of the JDU back into this conversation, very clearly behind.
10:45And let's play that visual.
10:47You have the Deputy Chief Minister.
10:49And he clearly understands that what the Chief Minister is doing is not correct.
10:55And you can see him, you know, let's play that clip.
10:59Because you can see him, let's play the clip where we have the Deputy Chief Minister as well,
11:04trying to get the Chief Minister to not do this.
11:07Mr. Satyapal Mishra, go ahead.
11:09Preeti Ji, first of all, the intent of the CM is very pious.
11:14Yes, it is not to violate the dignity of a woman completely.
11:19I understand that dignity of woman can never be negotiable.
11:22I understand this point.
11:24And I understand all law and law related to the violation of any rights of woman.
11:29But the intention of the Nitish Kumar ji was just very fatherly.
11:33It was a photographic session because he was giving appointment later.
11:38And her face was, you know, with his arm.
11:41But sir, the Deputy CM Samraj Chaudhary knows what he is doing is wrong.
11:45I understand that point.
11:46And he lunges ahead for him to stop doing it.
11:49I have seen that visual.
11:51You are really open to criticise it.
11:53But different perception can be made on that.
11:55But it was intention of Nitish Kumar, very pious, like a fatherly figure.
12:00Photographic moment was there.
12:02Okay, fine, it happened.
12:04But peeping too much inside the Nitish Kumar intention was bad, something wrong.
12:09This is really out of imagination.
12:11Nitish Kumar is a man of principle, dignity and a probity in political life.
12:16You can never match the quality of Nitish Kumar with other people.
12:20He has been in political life since 45 long years.
12:24And I am personally loaned to him since 1997.
12:27He is a man of dignity and protecting probity of woman.
12:32So, in a moment, something, actually, she was a doubter figure, like,
12:37he just showed a gesture.
12:40If you want to criticise Nitish Kumar ji on this, you are open to criticise.
12:45We don't mind it.
12:46But at the same point of time, the Nitish Kumar will be definitely working for empowerment of woman
12:53and more empowerment to Muslim woman.
12:56It is the first time I have seen a Muslim woman doctor taking such appointment letter
13:01from the chief minister of Bihar.
13:04So, there are so many schemes he has come with, something happened, you feel it in distress.
13:11I welcome that, but believe it, it was an intention of a pious fatherly figure, nothing else.
13:18Intention of a pious fatherly figure who didn't, at least in this picture,
13:25understand what basic personal boundaries are.
13:28I, you know.
13:30Okay, I want to give final two minutes to our other two panelists.
13:34I think, Priyanka Bharti, final two minutes.
13:37Your time begins now.
13:38Sure, Priyanka Bharti Ji, he says his intent was very pious.
13:43Anyone seeing the video would understand how pious it was.
13:46Anyone analyzing the video and analyzing other people around him would understand how pious it was.
13:52And he was talking about dignity, the man of dignity, Nitish Kumar is.
13:55Let me remind you of one statement.
13:56In the Vidhan Sabha, he said, one of our MLAs who belongs to, who comes from Dalit community, Rekha Paswan.
14:03And the words he used was,
14:05Mahila hoji, tumko janati hoji, tumko to hum na banay hain.
14:10So, this is a word a man uses, a man who thinks that he has the capacity to make a women MLA.
14:19And how audacious he is in calling out and saying, Mahila ho, tumko kuch aata hai.
14:23So, this is what Nitish Kumar ko aata hai.
14:26He's showing in the video, Nitish Kumar ji ko yahi aata hai.
14:29And this is what man of dignity he was talking about.
14:32And I would just give one, one, just let us create an imaginary situation for our JDU spokesperson.
14:39He's multiple times, he called it, it was a fatherly gesture, daughterly gesture.
14:45So, can your daughter be at that place, Satish ji, and you would justify it?
14:51Just a personal question, I wouldn't have asked it.
14:54But since you are justifying this, you know, instead of justification, you should have asked,
14:58as a citizen who believes in consent of a woman, who believes in dignity of a woman,
15:06at least you should have asked this, you should have criticized this.
15:09But instead of criticizing here, you are saving him, trying to save him.
15:13This cannot, he cannot be saved from this behavior.
15:15You know, because a consent of any woman is non-negotiable.
15:19It cannot be negotiated inside this country, outside this country.
15:23And I would just say, as a Chief Minister of Bihar, multiple times he has done activities like,
15:29today and yesterday also, he broke, he breached Article 25 of the Constitution,
15:35who gives anyone independence of what religious activity they profess and how they carry it.
15:40So, he must be criticized, Preeti ji, and thank you for speaking it out loudly.
15:44Mr. Mishra wants to come in for 20 seconds, you have 20 seconds, sir, because, make your point.
15:50I have seen my Vice-Chancellor patting my class topper in Jamia Millia Islamia, you've done well.
15:56I have seen fatherly figure to just praise the woman.
15:59Mr. Mishra, there's a huge difference, no, sir?
16:01No, no, I understand that.
16:02It's very different than patting somebody at the back and yanking somebody's hijab off.
16:06I'm coming to that point.
16:09Definitely, when somebody is in a position to pat the back or praise,
16:15different people do it in a different way.
16:18That was a photographic moment.
16:19This cannot be justified.
16:20He would have wanted to take a photograph.
16:22No, second question.
16:23He asked me about my daughter.
16:25I want to tell Mr. Atebhra.
16:28Sir, please, two minutes.
16:29You know, sir, your time's up.
16:30Go ahead.
16:30Now, I want to tell Mishra one thing very clear.
16:36Intent is highly irrelevant now in this case where harm is clearly visible.
16:42And the law judges actions, not excuses.
16:45So, please, let's not make excuses for a completely condemnable act here
16:49because you do not need malicious intent to come in constitution violation.
16:54And this I deem as a complete constitution violation.
16:58Sir, please don't talk over each other.
17:02Any high officials can decide what a woman should wear or should not wear.
17:07And this is not just governance.
17:09This is policing women's bodies.
17:11It is taking away, you know, a bodily right.
17:15And it's taking away a bodily autonomy from a woman.
17:19And I don't see it any other way.
17:21All right, okay, so that's all the time that we have for now.
17:24Thanking all three of our guests this evening.
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