{"id":8150,"date":"2025-12-18T15:17:39","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T15:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theeaglenews.co.in\/?p=8150"},"modified":"2025-12-18T15:17:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T15:17:39","slug":"nitish-kumar-owes-unconditional-apology-to-woman-says-javed-akhtar-over-naqab-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theeaglenews.co.in\/?p=8150","title":{"rendered":"Nitish Kumar Owes Unconditional Apology to Woman, Says Javed Akhtar Over \u2018Naqab\u2019 Row."},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><h1>Nitish Kumar Owes Unconditional Apology to Woman, Says Javed Akhtar Over \u2018Naqab\u2019 Row.<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>New Delhi\/Patna:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Veteran writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar on Thursday strongly condemned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for allegedly pulling off a woman\u2019s veil during a public function, saying the act was unacceptable and that the Chief Minister owed the woman an unconditional apology.<\/p>\n<p>The incident, captured in a video that has since gone viral on social media, took place at \u2018Samvad\u2019, the Bihar Chief Minister\u2019s secretariat, during a function where appointment letters were being distributed to newly appointed candidates. When a Muslim woman doctor came forward to receive her appointment letter, Nitish Kumar reportedly objected to her \u2018naqab\u2019 (veil), saying \u201cwhat is this\u201d, and then removed it in public.<\/p>\n<p>The video triggered a major political controversy, drawing widespread criticism from various quarters in India and abroad, including reactions from several West Asian countries. The JD(U) president has been accused by critics of showing disrespect towards Muslim traditions and violating a woman\u2019s personal dignity.<\/p>\n<p>Reacting to the incident, Javed Akhtar took to social media platform X to express his outrage in strong words. While reiterating his long-standing opposition to the traditional concept of \u2018parda\u2019, Akhtar made it clear that personal beliefs cannot justify violating someone\u2019s autonomy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery one who knows me even in the most cursory manner knows how much I am against the traditional concept of \u2018parda\u2019 but it doesn\u2019t mean that by any stretch of imagination I can accept what Mr Nitish Kumar has done to a Muslim lady doctor,\u201d Akhtar wrote. \u201cMr Nitish Kumar owes an unconditional apology to the lady.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Akhtar also lashed out at an X user who accused him of \u201cselective outrage\u201d over the issue. Responding sharply, the lyricist said, \u201cHow dare you accuse me of selective outrage. If you don\u2019t know how strongly I oppose the right wingers and regressives of my own community you are an imbecile.\u201d He further challenged the user to name any film written by him that portrayed women in a \u201cpoor light\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The noted writer has consistently spoken against \u2018parda\u2019 and regressive social practices. Most recently, at a literary festival in 2025, Akhtar addressed a question on women wearing burkhas and face coverings. Responding to a student, he questioned the logic behind covering a woman\u2019s face, saying, \u201cWhy should you be ashamed of your face? Why should you be? I believe that revealing clothes \u2013 whether men wear them or women \u2013 don\u2019t look dignified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He further added, \u201cBut what makes her cover her face? What\u2019s so vulgar, obscene and undignified about her face that it\u2019s covered? Why? This is peer pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the controversy continues to escalate, opposition leaders and civil society voices have demanded accountability from the Bihar Chief Minister, while the incident has reopened debates around personal choice, religious freedom, and respect for women in public spaces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nitish Kumar Owes Unconditional Apology to Woman, Says Javed Akhtar Over \u2018Naqab\u2019 Row. &nbsp; New Delhi\/Patna: &nbsp; Veteran writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar on Thursday [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" data-url=https:\/\/theeaglenews.co.in\/?p=8150><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[1814],"class_list":["post-8150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india-news","category-latest-news","tag-nitishkumar-naqabrow-javedakhtar-unconditionalapology-womendignity-respectpersonalchoice-politicalcontroversy-biharpolitics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.9.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Nitish Kumar Owes Unconditional Apology to Woman, Says Javed Akhtar Over \u2018Naqab\u2019 Row. - The Eagle News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theeaglenews.co.in\/?p=8150\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nitish Kumar Owes Unconditional Apology to Woman, Says Javed Akhtar Over \u2018Naqab\u2019 Row. - The Eagle News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nitish Kumar Owes Unconditional Apology to Woman, Says Javed Akhtar Over \u2018Naqab\u2019 Row. &nbsp; 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