'Any stretch of imagination...': Javed Akhtar condemns Nitish Kumar for pulling woman's hijab, seeks apology

(Screengrab/X)

Amid outrage over Nitish Kumar's attempt to pull down a Muslim woman’s hijab at an event in Patna, scriptwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar on Thursday strongly condemned the Bihar Chief Minister's actions and said that he owed an "unconditional apology".

Taking to X, Javed Akhtar said in a strongly worded statement, "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 . I condemn it in very strong words . Mr Nitish Kumar owes an unconditional apology to the lady."

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 . I condemn it in very strong words . Mr…

— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) December 18, 2025

Earlier in the day, a Pakistani gangster issued a threat to Nitish Kumar on social media over the hijab incident. A video circulating online, which has not been independently verified, purportedly showed Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti issuing a warning to Kumar and demanding an apology over the incident.

A massive row occurred after Nitish Kumar was seen pulling down the veil of a woman doctor wearing hijab during an event to distribute appointment letters to over 1,200 AYUSH doctors on Tuesday. The clip drew widespread criticism on social media.

Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of the BJP, who was present on the stage, appeared to move his hand towards the Chief Minister at the time, seemingly in response to the incident.

As the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress targeted the Chief Minister over his actions and raised questions about his mental state, the Janata Dal (United) found it difficult to offer a clear explanation.

Kumar’s party colleague and the Minority Welfare Minister Zama Khan said, “Nitish ji just showed love to a Muslim daughter. He wanted society to see the face of the girl after she became successful in life”.