Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has strongly criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over a viral video that allegedly shows him attempting to remove a woman’s hijab during a government event in Patna.
Taking to X, Akhtar termed the incident unacceptable and said the Chief Minister owed the woman an “unconditional apology.”
While reiterating his long-standing opposition to the traditional practice of purdah, Akhtar stressed that personal beliefs can never justify interference with a woman’s dignity or choice.
“Everyone who knows me, even in the most cursory manner, knows how much I am against the traditional concept of purdah. But that doesn’t mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that I can accept what Mr. Nitish Kumar has done to a Muslim lady doctor. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Mr. Nitish Kumar owes an unconditional apology to the lady,” Akhtar wrote.
His remarks come amid growing criticism from opposition parties over the widely circulated video from a government ceremony in Patna.
The footage shows Nitish Kumar pulling down a woman’s head covering while handing her a certificate at an event held at the Chief Minister’s office, where appointment letters were being distributed to newly recruited AYUSH doctors.
Before the woman could react, the Chief Minister is seen lowering her hijab, revealing her mouth and chin.
The incident has sparked nationwide outrage, with several public figures condemning the act.
Actor Zaira Wasim, who made her debut in Dangal, also reacted on social media, calling it a violation of a woman’s dignity.
“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 so casually, accompanied by that nonchalant smile, was infuriating. Power does not grant permission to violate boundaries. NitishKumar owes that woman an unconditional apology,” she wrote.
