Jawed Habib apologises for 'spitting' incident, says 'it was just acting'

New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS) Celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib has come under severe criticism for allegedly spitting on a woman's hair during a seminar in Uttar Pradesh's Muzzafarnagar earlier this week, after a video of the incident went viral on social media.

Habib broke his silence on the matter on Friday and told IANS, "I did not spit at all, it was just a type of acting. But it seems like I have spit when viewed from a certain angle."

A video of the celebrity hairstylist has gone viral in which it is seen that he is telling about the maintenance of a woman's hair and at the same time spitting on the hair of a woman, referring to a lack of water in her hair. Other women present at the seminar start laughing loudly after clapping their hands, the video shows.

However, the victim has lodged a complaint with the district police station. The woman has been identified as Pooja Gupta, who is a resident of Baraut Nagar in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, and runs a beauty parlour named 'Vanshika Beauty Parlour'.

Habib told IANS, "I am a teacher and I take part in many seminars. I try to entertain while teaching. We make little jokes while doing that but they don't mean to hurt anyone. If I have hurt anyone, I sincerely apologise.

"I didn't spit, it was a kind of acting. But it looks like I spat when viewed from a distance. My mission in this country is to change the profession of barbers and I am changing that through studies."

The celebrity hairstylist said, "Nearly 10,000 people work with me and how many people's houses are running through this, no one is thinking about that. At the same time, I also train many people every year. Nearly 5 to 6 hours of training is imparted on stage and in that we only teach how to cut a person's hair. That's why we joke around in a very subtle manner. If we act d while joking, it is not done in reality but is a kind of acting.

"After Covid-19, the hairstyling industry was affected the most. Whenever there is a lockdown, all our shops are closed first. People from different economic backgrounds come to us and all of them are unable to even run their houses. I have been running a campaign to change the profession through studies and that is what I am doing."

Asked by IANS about a notice being issued by the National Commission for Women against him asking to appear before it on January 11, Habib said, "We are ready to face the mistakes we have made. We will go and present our side of the story."

On the other hand, the victim is quite angry with Habib and even said that the latter is calling her to apologise. But the woman wants to teach him a lesson by punishing him for insulting a woman.