New Delhi: Nusrat Parveen, the Muslim doctor whose hijab was pulled down by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, did not join service on Saturday (December 20), the last day to do so.Kumar had pulled Parveen’s hijab while distributing appointment letters to newly appointed AYUSH doctors last week as he handed the letter to the young doctor.Parveen is a postgraduate student of Government Tibbi College and Hospital in Patna.“Today (December 20) by 6 p.m. was the last date to join the duty, but she did not come. However, it does not mean that she cannot join later. There is a possibility if the health department allows her to join. There would be no problem in that,” district civil surgeon Avinash Kumar Singh told The Hindu.Parveen’s brother had previously said that she was too hurt by the incident. “She is determined not to join the service. However, all family members, including me, are trying to convince her otherwise. We are telling her that it is the fault of the other person, so why should she feel bad or suffer because of it,” the doctor’s brother had said.A political storm had ensued in Bihar after the incident, with many questioning Nitish Kumar’s conduct.Both the opposition and the civil society, called Kumar’s action an assault on a Muslim woman’s modesty and demanded an apology from him.“This act was an assault on this woman’s dignity, autonomy, and identity. When a public official forcibly pulls down a woman’s hijab, it sends a message to the general public that this behaviour is acceptable. No one has the right to police a woman’s faith or clothing. Such actions deepen fear, normalize discrimination, and erode the very foundations of equality and freedom of religion. This violation demands unequivocal condemnation and accountability. Urgent steps must be taken to ensure that no woman is subjected to such degrading treatment,” Aakar Patel, chair of board at Amnesty International India, said in a statement.This incident is the latest in a string of awkward moments that have raised doubts about Kumar’s mental wellbeing.