This viral video does not show Javed Akhtar backing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar amid the Hijab-pulling controversy
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is facing criticism after a video from a public event on 15 December 2025 showed him pulling down the Hijab of a Muslim woman. The clip went viral, with many calling the act inappropriate and disrespectful, and questioning the conduct of a public representative (here, here, and here).
In this context, a video is circulating on social media (here, here, and here) in which Javed Akhtar, noted lyricist, poet, and screenwriter, is seen speaking to a burqa-clad woman about the practice of women covering their faces, stating that even when described as a matter of personal choice, such practices are shaped by patriarchal social structures. The post is being shared with the claim that it shows Javed Akhtar backing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar amid the Hijab-pulling controversy. Let’s verify the claim made in the post in this article.
Claim: The video shows lyricist, poet, and screenwriter Javed Akhtar backing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar amid the Hijab-pulling controversy.
Fact: The viral video does not show Javed Akhtar backing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The footage is from the SOA (Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan) Bhubaneswar Literary Festival 2025, held on 29 November 2025, and is unrelated to the Hijab-pulling controversy. Javed Akhtar’s comments in the video were not connected to Nitish Kumar and were made before the controversy occurred. On the contrary, Javed Akhtar condemned CM Nitish Kumar’s action in an X post dated 18 December 2025 and called on him to offer an unconditional apology to the woman doctor. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of key frames from the viral video led us to an extended version of the same footage uploaded on the YouTube channel of the SOA (Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan) Literary Festival on 29 November 2025. The video, titled “SOA Literary Festival – 2025 || Javed Akhtar”, is described as being recorded at the SOA Bhubaneswar Literary Festival 2025 held on 29 November.
We examined the full video and found that Javed Akhtar did not mention Nitish Kumar anywhere in his speech, nor did he make any comment justifying the act of pulling down a woman’s hijab. At around the 46:00-minute mark, a burqa-clad woman asks a question about how a woman covering her face makes her any less strong. In response, Javed Akhtar offers a general critique of patriarchal norms that expect women to cover their faces. The clip is also from an event that took place before the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar amid the niqab-pulling controversy emerged.
We also found an X post shared by Javed Akhtar on 18 December 2025, in which he condemned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s actions and called on him to offer an unconditional apology to the woman doctor.
To sum up, this viral video does not show Javed Akhtar backing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar amid the Hijab-pulling controversy.