Overview
- A widely shared video shows Shah at Mumbai airport declining to comment on a recent university controversy and asking reporters to stop pressing him.
- Shah is heard saying, “I do not want to talk about this issue, so please do not harass me,” as he walks through the terminal with actor Ratna Pathak Shah.
- Questioning continued despite his refusal, prompting Shah to add, “What kind of people are you... Why are you persisting, why are you harassing me?” in an exchange identified in reports with a Times Now journalist.
- In an earlier Indian Express op-ed, Shah said Mumbai University’s Urdu department disinvited him on the night before its February 1 Jashn-e-Urdu event without giving a reason or apology, and told the audience he had refused to attend.
- Social media users condemned the airport approach and urged that attention return to the university’s decision, with actor Prakash Raj publicly criticizing the reporter’s behavior.