Javed Akhtar, a well-known Bollywood lyricist, and playwright have been under fire for his recent apologist comments about the Bulli Bai case’s mastermind.

Indian police announced on Tuesday that they had made their first arrest in an investigation. The arrest was due to an internet app that offered images of scores of Muslim women for an “auction.” This falls into an anti-minority sentiment issue under the law. Furthermore, Bulli Bai, the name of the app, is a pejorative slur for Muslim women.

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The main accused behind the app is an 18-year-old girl. On Tuesday, she was apprehended in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. “As per our understanding, the girl, known as Shweta Singh, originates from Bulandshahr district in Uttar Pradesh. She belongs to an economically weaker family,” Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar told the media. While we can’t say much about her specific role in the case. We do know that she reportedly used phony IDs to commit the crime.”

The renowned novelist expressed support for the victims earlier. However, his latest stance on the matter has enraged many. “If ‘Bully Bai’ was actually masterminded by an 18-year-old girl who has lately lost her parents to cancer and corona,” Akhtar wrote on Twitter.

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“I hope the women or elders help her see why whatever she did was wrong.” He went on to say, “Show her mercy and forgiveness.”

Howbeit, Twitter users slammed Akhtar’s remarks. They accused him of being misogynistic in his approach to the situation. People even went on saying that the girl for whatever reason did commit a crime. She must be punished accordingly.