Salim Khan opens up about Salman's hit-and-run case

August 1, 2013

Salim_KhanWe have asked Salim Khan several times in the past to comment on issues pertaining to his superstar son Salman Khan but he has refrained from doing so. This time again, like always, we asked him to talk about Salman's hit-and-run case and much to our surprise, Salim sahab agreed to talk to us and invited us over to his new place at Pacific Heights on Carter Road. I started by asking him the most obvious question.

Salim sahab, all these years you did not speak up: be it about Salman's famous linkups and breakups or his black buck case or even the more recent hug between our two superstars Shah Rukh and Salman. What made you change your mind to speak to us now?

It's natural for every father to take the side of his son. We are in a position to hire the best lawyers in the country and I have full faith in our judicial system. Whether he is guilty or not will be decided by the court of law, but I felt that now the time has come when I am required to speak on it as so many things are being hammered all the time by the media, that over time it will be construed as truth. While the case is subjudice, as a sensible person there are some things I can say for sure.

How is this a hit-and-run case?

Hit-and-run has the implication of being callous and a coward. You become an insensitive person and a coward if you want to run away in such a situation. The car skidded and hit the footpath at 2.30 in the night and thereby, people who were sleeping on it. It is unfortunate that apparently, it was the first day they were sleeping on the footpath as it was the month of September when the monsoons had just got over. The accident happened 100 meters away from the house and the car was stuck there and was removed only in the morning. Coincidentally, Salman had a police constable (Ravinder Patil) with him at that time given to him for his protection. There was a crowd and there were stones being thrown at the car at which point, the police constable whose job it was to protect Salman, took him away from there and brought him home where his statements were recorded and then he was taken for the alcohol test. So where is the question of running away? Hit-and-run means when your car has hit someone and you choose to run away. Whether he was driving that night or not is still a question mark and I will not comment on that as the case is subjudice. But everybody who had come there at the time of the accident knew Salman and the boy who died was taken to the hospital.

It has been repeatedly said that the car was being driven at 90 miles per hour.

Even Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari cannot touch 90 miles per hour in front of the small stretch of Holy Family. Had the car hit the shop at 90 miles per hour, the whole shop would have disappeared.

It is repeatedly reported that four were injured even though only one was.

While one person died, only one other person was injured. People there told me that the person who got injured was throwing stones at the car and one of the stones fell on his foot due to which his foot was fractured and needed first aid.

It is often being asked why Salman should be treated above the law and why he should be given so many concessions?

I want to question why is he treated differently than any other citizen of the country. He was put in jail for 18 days, he is involved in this case for over 10 years and has been charged under sections that are applied on the rarest of rare cases.

He is being tried under a section harsher than the section for the Bhopal gas tragedy. The government had his passport and he could not travel without permission. Are these concessions? Is the government going soft? When Salman got bail, he was asked to give 20 lakhs which he immediately gave. There are so many accidents that take place. In how many cases has the person accused been asked to pay 20 lakhs? We would have also liked to give more money but we were asked to stay away from the witnesses by the law. How many people have been put through 18 days of jail? Why treat him unequally? Please treat him equally as a regular citizen and make him go through the process of law. And don't prejudice the minds of the people by writing that he is being treated above the law.

It's not that I am indifferent towards my son or that I am not interested or not worried about the whole thing, but the problem is that I have not ever spoken about any of his issues. This incident is subjudice, but I am forced to speak on a few points which seem obviously ridiculous and unfair. Apart from the judicial system, I also have full faith in our lawyers. I know that they are convinced that Salman is innocent and will thus fight this case not only professionally but emotionally also. But please, by saying hit-and- run, you are not just accusing Salman the person, but also his reputation and also casting aspersions on a man's character. I know of three cases where Salman has saved the lives of people. Once in Bandra, there was an accident where he saved the life of one of the two brothers in an accident that had taken place on the road. That family always tells him that their one son is alive only because of him. There was another accident at Worli where a truck had hit a Maruti. He took the people in the Maruti to the hospital and saved their lives. Don't put a question mark on his character. That night in the accident too, he had got down and wanted to help. But there was a police guard with him, who to protect Salman, took him away as people were throwing stones at the car.

Would you like to comment on Abha Singh's involvement in Salman's case?

Hindustan mein corruption itna badh gaya hai ki, mujhe lagta hai ki Hindustan ki 120 crore population mein, yeh doh log hi bachche huen hai jo honest hai — Abha Singh aur YP Singh. I feel it is society's and the government's responsibility to preserve these two, just like we preserve Taj Mahal.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 30,2020

Mumbai, Apr 29: Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor is not keeping well and has been admitted to a city hospital here, his elder brother Randhir Kapoor said.

The 67-year-old actor was taken to H N Reliance hospital by his family on Wednesday morning.

"He is in the hospital. He is suffering from cancer and he has some breathing problem, so he has been admitted to the hospital. He is stable now," Randhir told PTI.

The actor returned to India last September after undergoing treatment for cancer in the US for almost a year.

In February, Kapoor was hospitalised twice due to his health issues.

He was first admitted to a hospital in Delhi where he was attending a family function. At the time, Kapoor had said that he was suffering from an "infection".

After his return to Mumbai, he was again admitted to a hospital with viral fever. He was discharged soon after.

Kapoor, who has been quite active on social media, hasn't posted anything on his Twitter account since April 2.

The actor recently announced his next project, a remake of Hollywood film "The Intern", also featuring Deepika Padukone.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
July 26,2020

Washington, Jul 26: Regis Philbin, the iconic television personality best-known for his hosting duties on 'Live!' with co-hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelly Ripa, and 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' has died. The beloved star was 88.

According to People Magazine, the longtime television host died on July 24. His family shared a statement on Saturday, "We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes, one month shy of his 89th birthday,"
"His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him - for his warmth, his legendary sense of humour, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about. 

We thank his fans and admirers for their incredible support over his 60-year career and ask for privacy as we mourn his loss," the Philbin family says.

Philbin began his iconic career in 1988, as the host of 'Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee' alongside TV presenter Kathie Lee Gifford. After 15 years, Gifford left the ABC show but the pair remained close after her departure.

In 2001, the franchise became 'Live! with Regis and Kelly', co-starring Kelly Ripa before he left in 2011 after 23 years on-air.

From 1999 to 2002, Philbin also served as the original host of the widely popular game show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.' In addition, the New York City native's hosting credits include 'Million Dollar Password', the first season of 'America's Got Talent', as well as a reoccurring co-host seat on 'Rachael Ray'.

Born on August 25, 1931, Philbin was raised in the Bronx and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in 1949 before attending the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a sociology degree in 1953.

After serving in the Navy, Philbin began his career in show business as a writer and made his way in front of the camera in 1961 with a local talk show in San Diego called 'The Regis Philbin Show'. Then in 1967, he became widely known as Joey Bishop's sidekick on 'The Joey Bishop Show'.

After a string of local talk shows, including 'A.M. Los Angeles' and 'Regis Philbin's Saturday Night in St. Louis', the star moved to New York in 1983 to host 'The Morning Show', which was renamed three years later as 'Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee'.

His accolades include Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding talk show host for 'Live!' in 2001 and 2011 as well as an outstanding game show host for 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'. He also received a Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008.

Throughout his career, Philbin had various health issues. He underwent an angioplasty in 1993, followed by triple bypass surgery due to plaque in his arteries in March 2007. In December 2009, the television personality had his hip replaced.

Married twice, Philbin is survived by daughters J.J. Philbin and Joanna Philbin, whom he shared with his wife of 50 years, Joy Philbin. He was also father to daughter Amy Philbin, whom he shared with his first wife Catherine Faylen. Philbin and Faylen had another child, son Daniel Philbin, who died in 2014.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
July 28,2020

Mumbai, Jul 28: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he was left in tears as his daughter-in-law, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and granddaughter Aaradhya Bachchan were discharged from hospital after testing negative for coronavirus.

Aishwarya and her eight-year-old daughter, who were shifted to the isolation ward of Nanavati Hospital on July 17, were discharged on Monday.

Amitabh, 77, and his actor-son Abhishek are still in hospital after they were admitted on July 11.

In a post on official blog, the Bollywood veteran said that he became emotional when Aaradhya told him that he would be "back home soon".

"They go home, the little one and Bahurani... and the tears flow out... the little one embraces and tells me not to cry... 'You’ll be home soon', she assures... I must believe her," he said.

On Monday, Abhishek had said that he and his father were still under the care of medical staff at the Nanavati Hospital's isolation ward.

"My father and I remain in hospital under the care of the medical staff. Thank you all for your continued prayers and good wishes. Indebted forever," the 44-year-old actor tweeted.

Both Amitabh and Abhishek have been sharing their health updates with fans on various social media platforms.

Last week, Amitabh had dismissed reports that he had finally tested negative for coronavirus, calling the piece of news "an incorrigible lie".

Mumbai's Covid-19 tally rose to 1,10,129 on Monday with addition of 1,033 new cases.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.