Lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar said that he was “pained” by the protests he faced from a section of people in Kolkata, a city he “deeply” admires.

An event organised by the West Bengal Urdu Academy was cancelled following protests by fringe groups over Mr. Akhtar’s participation. Various Islamic groups had objected to the lyricist’s presence in the four-day event scheduled from August 31 to September 3. Mr. Akhtar was supposed to speak on the influence of Urdu in Hindi cinema on September 1.