Salman being targeted for his celebrity status: Father

August 2, 2015

Mumbai, Aug 2: Days after Bollywood superstar Salman Khan got into a controversy by opposing the death penalty for 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon, his father, veteran writer Salim Khan, dismissing his son's tweets as "childish and meaningless", said he was being targeted for his celebrity status which gives accusers more publicity.

SalmanSalim says his son was not the only person who had held such a position.

"These things have been said by many people. Salman was not the only one. Probably his way of putting it was little childish and meaningless. First person to condemn it was me. Lots of people like Naseeruddin Shah, Shatrughan Sinha, (Justice) Markandey Katju have said the same thing," Salim told news channel India Today.

"You get more publicity when you attach Salman because he is a big star," he added.

Salman, 49, who is out on bail after being sentenced to five years in jail in the 2002 hit-and-run case in May, tweeted on July 25 that Yakub, who was hanged in Nagpur jail on Thursday, should not be punished for his brother Tiger Memon's crime.

The reaction to the tweets led authorities to deploy around 50 policemen outside his residence in Galaxy Apartment in Bandra in fear of possible violence and even set up barricades.

However, Salman, the very next day (July 26) apologised for what all he said. The "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" posted on Twitter that his father wanted him to retract his tweets "as they have the potential to create misunderstanding". And he promptly deleted the earlier tweets.

Asked whether Salman is being targeted because of being an Indian Muslim, Salim said: "The people here who have come up with the agitation and blocked the road... personally I felt that these are the people, probably lots of them are against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji. He (Modi) is totally aware of all these things that he comes to know."

Yakub Memon was involved in the deadly 1993 blasts that left 257 people dead and over 700 injured in what was then the world's worst urban terror attack.

He is the brother of one of the main accused, Tiger, who along with others is absconding. Indian officials believe he and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim are in Pakistan.

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News Network
June 15,2020

Mumbai, Jun 15: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput's brother-in-law O.P. Singh, who is the Additional Director General of Police and posted as Special Officer in the Haryana Chief Minister's Office, suspected some foul play in the crime, it is reliably learnt on Monday. He is seeking a thorough probe into the incident.

"Sushant Singh Rajput has been murdered, he cannot commit suicide. I demand CBI enquiry into the matter," Jan Adhikar Party Chief Pappu Yadav told media persona at the actor’s residence in Patna, where his family resides.

The 34-year-old actor was found hanging at his apartment in Mumbai's Bandra on Sunday.

His sister lives in Chandigarh.

State officials said Singh has left for Mumbai soon he came to know about the suicide incident.

Expressing condolences, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said actor Rajput's death is an "irreparable loss" to not only the film industry but also for the entire society.

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News Network
March 5,2020

Bihar, Mar 5: A complaint has been filed before a court in Bihar against lyricist Javed Akhtar over his remarks on the FIRs being registered against expelled AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in the wake of Delhi riots.

The complaint was lodged on Wednesday by Amit Kumar, a local advocate, before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Thakur Aman Kumar.

On the basis of a newspaper report, the complainant has alleged that Akhtar's remarks were seditious and promoted religious hatred.

The media report was based on Akhtar's tweet of February 27 that "So many killed, so many injured, so many houses burned, so many shops looted so many people turned destitute but police has sealed only one house and looking for his owner. Incidentally, his name is Tahir. Hats off to the consistency of the Delhi police."

The violence in northeast Delhi claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured. The former Rajya Sabha member was heavily trolled for the tweet.

In a subsequent tweet, Akhtar who asserted that he is a non-believer and a rationalist, had clarified that he was not asking "why Tahir but why ONLY Tahir and not even an FIR against those who have openly threatened violence in the presence of the police".

The matter is likely to come up for hearing on March 25.

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News Network
March 10,2020

Washington, Mar 10: British adventurer Bear Grylls on Monday shared the power-packed trailer of `Into The Wild` episode featuring South Indian superstar Rajinikanth.

The video captures Rajinikanth driving through the forests of Bandipur in Karnataka, where the episode has been filmed. The 45-year-old adventurer shared the daredevil video on Twitter featuring Rajinikanth amid the woods and in the background, Grylls is heard saying "He`s faced a lot of fears, but he never gives up. He`s relentlessly positive."

He captioned the post on Twitter and wrote: "Superstar @Rajinikanth`s relentless positivity and never giving up spirit was so visible in the wild as he embraced every challenge thrown at him. Respect! Watch Into The Wild with @BearGryllson March 23 at 8:00 pm. @DiscoveryIN#ThalaivaOnDiscovery."

The video shows the Padma Bhushan actor and Grylls climbing hills and wading through gorges and ravine. The duo is seen driving through the Deccan forest. Amid the video, Grylls is seen addressing Rajinikanth as a "superhero." The actor is seen pulling off his signature `sunglass` move.

Earlier in February, the adventure show host shared an intriguing motion poster marking superstar Rajinikanth`s blockbuster TV debut in Discovery`s `Into the Wild`. Grylls also shared that it was a special experience for him to work with the Rajinikanth.

In January, Rajinikanth suffered minor injuries while shooting for the special episode of `Man vs Wild` Bandipur forest in Karnataka.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajinikanth becomes the second Indian personality to be featured on Grylls` survival show.

The episode with Prime Minister Modi was aired last year in August and became quite an attraction among viewers.

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