Jawed Habib stirs controversy after spitting on woman; NCW intervenes
What's the story
Famed hairstylist Jawed Habib has stirred public outrage after a video of him spitting on a woman's head went viral on social media. In the video, Habib is starting to trim a woman's hair while advising hair care tips. He is then seen spitting on the woman's head, joking that her hair was dry. The incident occurred at a seminar in Muzzafarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Context
Why does it matter?
Habib is among India's most popular hairstylists with over 850 salons and 65 hair academies spread throughout 115 cities. He and his family are widely regarded as India's hair education and fashion pioneers. Pooja Gupta, the woman identified in the video, has also claimed that Habib called her and misbehaved with her. The video has drawn heavy criticism online.
Incident
What does the viral video show?
While preparing to trim the woman's hair, Habib is heard saying, "'Look, my hair is dirty.' Why are they dirty? 'Because I have not used shampoo.'" "Listen carefully, if you don't have water," he says before leaning over and spitting on her head. "Is thook me jaan hai (this spit has life)," he adds as the crowd laughs and cheers.
Quote
NCW looking into case after woman voices concern
In a separate video, Gupta herself said that Habib "misbehaved" with her. The National Commission for Women tweeted on Thursday, "@NCWIndia has taken cognizance of the incident." "Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to @dgpup to immediately investigate the veracity of this viral video and take appropriate action. The action taken must be apprised to the Commission at the earliest," it added.
Twitter Post
You can watch the clip here
जावेद हबीब ने जिस महिला के बालों में थूका, वो पूजा गुप्ता बड़ौत (बागपत) की हैं।
— Sachin Gupta (@sachingupta787) January 6, 2022
"उन्होंने मिसबिहेव किया, मैंने वो हेयर कट नहीं कराया, मैं गली के नाई से बाल कटा लूंगी लेकिन जावेद हबीब से नहीं" pic.twitter.com/AfrwrEDOOh