Arjun Bijlani and wife Neha apologise over T-shirt with text about Prophet Muhammad

Television actor Arjun Bijlani and his wife Neha Swami Bijlani have apologised after a T-shirt she wore drew anger online. The T-shirt carried Urdu text that referred to Prophet Muhammad.

The couple said a fan gave them the T-shirt at a mall in Bangkok. Neha could not read Urdu, so she did not know what the words meant when she put it on. In a note Arjun posted on Instagram, they said they never meant to hurt or disrespect anyone's religious feelings, and that they respect every faith.

The statement was also firm about the abuse. It called the trolling, curses and threats aimed at Neha "deeply distressing and unacceptable". The couple said one person should not face online harassment over a mistake made without knowing.

Arjun captioned the post "We sincerely apologise." The couple promised to be more careful with gifts from now on. They asked people to stop spreading hate and to leave Neha and her family alone.

Pakistani actor Mishi Khan had also criticised the pair in an Instagram post and called for a public apology.