‘Nitish Kumar owes an unconditional apology to the lady’: After Zaira Wasim, Javed Akhtar condemns Bihar CM’s ‘naqab’ pulling act

Veteran writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar has strongly criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over a controversial incident where a woman’s naqab was pulled at a public function. While Akhtar has been openly against the traditional concept of ‘parda’ for years, he made it clear that this belief does not justify what happened. According to him, the Chief Minister owes the woman an unconditional apology.

Javed Akhtar condemns Nitish Kumar’s actions

Reacting to the viral clip, Javed Akhtar took to X (Twitter) to express, in his post, Akhtar wrote, "Every one who knows me even in the most cursory manner knows how much I am against the traditional concept of Parda but it doesn’t mean that by any stretch of imagination I can accept what Mr Nitish Kumar has done to a Muslim lady doctor... Mr Nitish Kumar owes an unconditional apology to the lady."

Javed Akhtar rejects claims of selective outrage online

As the debate continued online, an X (previously Twitter) user accused Javed Akhtar of showing ‘selective outrage’ on the issue. The veteran writer responded sharply to the allegation, making his position clear. He wrote, "How dare you accuse me of selective outrage. If you don't know how strongly I oppose the right wingers and regressives of my own community you are an imbecile."

Zaira Wasim demands apology for woman publicly

Earlier, former actor Zaira Wasim, known for her role in ‘Dangal’, also spoke out against the incident. The 25-year-old actor quit Bollywood in 2019, saying that the industry interfered with her faith and religion.

Sharing her reaction on X (formerly Twitter), Zaira expressed strong anger over the incident and demanded an unconditional apology from Nitish Kumar. She wrote, “A woman's dignity and modesty are not props to toy with. Least of all on a public stage. As a Muslim woman, watching another woman's niqab being pulled at so casually, accompanied by that nonchalant smile, was so infuriating. Power does not grant permission to violate boundaries. @NitishKumar owes that woman an unconditional apology.”

What did the Bihar Chief minister do?

The incident took place at ‘Samvad’, the Bihar Chief Minister’s secretariat, during a public programme where appointment letters were being handed out. A video clip from the event soon went viral, drawing sharp reactions from across the country.

When a woman came forward to receive her appointment letter, Nitish Kumar noticed that she was wearing a ‘naqab’. He reportedly said ‘what is this’ and then went on to pull her naqab in front of everyone present. The act was caught on camera and widely shared on social media platforms.