Hindi film actor Salman Khan was under attack on Sunday for telling a Pakistani channel that the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai were hyped up because the “elite people” were targeted.
His comments have prompted angry reactions from political parties, with the Shiv Sena calling them “anti-national.” Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and the Bharatiya Janata Party too reacted sharply to the actor's statement.
“It was the elite that was targeted this time. Five star hotels and all. So they panicked. Then they got up and spoke about it. My question is why not before? Attacks have happened in trains and small towns too, but no one talked about it so much,” Salman said during an interview to Express 24/7 channel.
The Sena on Sunday demanded that he apologise for the statement.
“The 26/11 attacks were a war against the nation. Salman should apologise for his remarks. Ambani was not staying at the CST [Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus], nor was Tata or Birla staying in the Cama Lane,” Sena leader Sanjay Raut said. The CST and Cama Lane were among the places targeted by terrorists.
Mr. Bhujbal called the statement “uninformed.”
“He is an actor. He does not have the information to make a comment on whether the Pakistani government was involved or not. People travelling in taxis, constables, waiters, hotel workers, all lost their lives in the attacks,” he said.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “The 26/11 attack was an attack on India. We cannot forget that Indian citizens were killed. This was not a small issue for Salman Khan to comment. This was an attack meticulously planned by Pakistan.”
The attacks left 166 people dead. Eight of the attacks occurred in south Mumbai at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe, the Cama Hospital, the Orthodox Jewish-owned Nariman House, the Metro Cinema and a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier's College.
Condemning Salman's remarks, Special Prosecutor in the 26/11 trial Ujjwal Nikam said that the statement was “childish.”
“It appears that without knowing the details of the terror attack, the actor made such statements and I shall say these are childish remarks. They [terrorists] don't make any distinction between rich and poor. It is judicially established that the outcome was a deep-rooted criminal conspiracy hatched in Pakistan and the targets were deliberately selected to wage war against India.”
Salman, who is riding high after the success of his latest film Dabangg , has taken to Twitter to clarify his stand.
“Every human life has equal value in any act of terror, anywhere in the world is unpardonable. be it 9/11 or 26/11.”
“Next time onwards, I will record all my interviews too so that such controversies don't take place," he added.
