“We have stationed two police vans and teams outside Akhtar’s residence. Till now, there has been no protest. Nor have we received any complaint by or against Akhtar regarding the matter. Akhtar did not ask for police protection. But we acted on our own and deployed the cops to ensure that there is no law and order problem,” a police officer was quoted by Indian Express as saying.

Stating that right-wing all over the world had an uncanny similarity, Akhtar recently told NDTV that the Taliban and RSS shared a fascist ideology. He further said that the Taliban was “more empowered with weapons, but the view, outlook, and ideology are mirroring each other.”

Following his comments, Ghatkopar (W) BJP MLA Ram Kadam had threatened that the saffron party would not allow the release of any of his films until he issues an apology.

Shiv Sena also criticized Akhtar on Monday. It said Akhtar was “completely wrong” in comparing the RSS with the Taliban. “How can you say those who favour the concept of a Hindu Rashtra are of Talibani mindset? We don’t agree with this,” stated an editorial in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.