The knife attack on Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan - which doctors at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital said left him with six stab wounds, including one near his spinal cord - was not real, Maharashtra Ports Minister Nitesh Rane has alleged, in shocking comments a day after the 54-year-old actor was discharged and returned home.
He accused Mr Khan - whom he seemed to refer to as "garbage" - of "dancing while walking" out of the hospital, and ranted, "I doubted if he had been stabbed... or if he was acting."
"Look at what Bangladeshis are doing in Mumbai. They entered Saif Ali Khan's house. Earlier they used to stand at road crossings... now they have started entering houses. Maybe he came to take him (Mr Khan) away. It is good... garbage should be taken away," the BJP leader said.
#WATCH | Pune: Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane says, "Look at what Bangladeshis are doing in Mumbai. They entered Saif Ali Khan's house. Earlier they used to stand at the crossings of the roads, now they have started entering houses. Maybe he came to take him (Saif) away. It is… pic.twitter.com/XUBwpwQ6RQ
— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2025
"I saw when he came out of the hospital. I doubted whether he had been stabbed, or he was acting. He was dancing while walking," he was quoted by news agency ANI.
READ | "If Knife Was 2 mm Deeper...": Doctors Say Saif Out Of ICU
The crass, and incendiary, comments didn't end there.
Rane also hit out at NCP leaders Jitendra Awhad and Supriya Sule, accusing them of showing concern only "whenever any Khan, like Shah Rukh Khan or Saif Ali Khan, gets hurt".
"... everyone starts talking about it then. When a Hindu actor like Sushant Singh Rajput is tortured, no one comes forward to say anything... that Mumbra's Jeetuddin (a crude reference to Mr Awhad) and Baramati's Tai (Ms Sule) did not come forward to say anything..."
READ | Held Tightly, Attacker Stabbed Saif In Back To Free Himself: Sources
"Have you ever seen them worrying about any Hindu artist?"
Ajit Pawar Responds
The comments were shrugged off by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who said, "I don't know what he said... but if he has something on his mind, he can tell the Home Department." Mumbai Police reports to the state's Home Ministry, which is led by Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.
"The truth, at the moment, is that the person has been arrested. That person had come from Bangladesh... everyone has an attraction towards Mumbai."
"He needed to go back to Bangladesh after seeing Mumbai (but) needed money," Mr Pawar said, suggesting Shehzad may have been trying to steal cash to buy a ticket home.
Mr Khan's nanny had said Shehzad demanded Rs 1 crore when confronted.
READ | Attacker Entered Room Of Saif's Son Jeh, Wanted Rs 1 Crore: Sources
"Perhaps yesterday, when Saif Ali Khan was going home, looking at his health and clothes it was difficult to guess he was attacked a few days ago. But what happened was true," Mr Pawar said.
Sanjay Nirupam's Shocker Too
However, it wasn't just Nitesh Rane making such comments.
Sanjay Nirupam, who was with the Congress before switching to Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction, said, "... the way Saif came out... it seemed nothing happened six days ago."
Bangladeshi National Arrested
Mr Khan was attacked, the police believe, by Shariful Shehzad, a Bangladeshi national living illegally in India. The cops also believe Shehzad, who said he didn't know he was in the actor's home, was trying to burgle it when he was confronted, first by the nanny and then Mr Khan.
Shehzad has been arrested and is in police custody; he was tracked down to Thane after leading the cops on a long-winded chase through parts of Mumbai as he tried to return to Bangladesh.
READ | Paratha By UPI Payment: How Cops Caught Saif Attack Suspect
The lawyer representing Shehzad has argued the allegations are false and that his client is being made a scapegoat because a celebrity is involved. "... nothing (incriminating) has been recovered from him."
READ | Saif Attacker Jailed For 5 Days, Claims He Is Being Framed
"They have not produced any document to prove he is a Bangladeshi national," his lawyer said. However, the suspect himself reportedly told cops, "...haan, maine hi kiya hai (yes, I did it)".
With input from agencies
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