India, May 27 -- In an unusual gesture, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar placed a potted plant on the head of a senior IAS officer who gifted it to the CM during an official event. Kumar's act drew a mix of laughter, confusion, and criticism across the political sphere.

The incident occurred when CM Kumar was attending an appointment letter distribution ceremony at the Lalit Narayan Mishra Institute in Patna and handed over appointment letters to 20 newly recruited faculty members.

As part of the protocol, the education department's additional chief secretary S Siddharth presented a ceremonial sapling to the chief minister, a usual gesture at official government events. However, what followed was anything but routine.

In a move that s...