Police have beefed up security for Akhtar after the incident which occurred shortly after Abdul Qayyum Shaikh of the All India Muslim Council (AIMC) demanded on Friday evening that Akhtar apologize for remarks he made on a television talk show against a fatwa allegedly issued by clerics from the Deoband Islamic Seminary.

Shaikh said that since both Akhtar and his actress wife Shabana Azmi are not practicing Muslims and do not follow Islamic laws they have no right to speak on Muslim issues. “They are not Muslims and therefore should control their tongues prior to speaking about Islam,” Shaikh said, adding that it was against Shariah for Muslims to work in the film industry.

The controversy arose after Akhtar criticized a fatwa issued by the Deoband clerics that stated it was forbidden for Muslim women to mingle with members of the opposite sex at the workplace. The fatwa also said women should wear a face veil and avoid speaking to men not closely related to them.