Even celebrities are not safe in Maharashtra: Oppn leaders after attack on Saif Ali Khan

Mumbai, Jan 16 (PTI) NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan by an intruder at his home in Mumbai shows the law and order situation is deteriorating in Maharashtra.

Various other opposition leaders also said the attack on Khan shows that not even celebrities are safe in the state, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, has failed to maintain law and order.

“It shows (attack on Khan) that the law and order situation in Maharashtra is deteriorating. Recently, a person was killed in the same area and now this incident. All these things are worrisome,” Pawar told reporters at Baramati in Pune when asked about the attack on Khan.

“The state government, especially the chief minister, who holds charge of the home department, should pay attention to these things more seriously,” the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

In October last year, former state minister Baba Siddique was shot dead by three persons in Bandra area.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “No one is safe. Let alone ordinary people, even celebrities who have their own security are not safe.”

Khan is a Padma Shri recipient and recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi along with his family, Raut noted.

Police in the state are mostly deployed for the security of politicians, “especially those who defect”, Raut said, adding, “There is no fear of law. The government stands exposed.”

Speaking to PTI Videos, Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said the law and order situation has deteriorated in the state, and the incidents in Beed — where a village sarpanch was brutally killed for allegedly thwarting an attempt to extort money from an energy firm — showed that the administration is working for anti-social elements.

If people like actors Saif Ali Khan and Salman Khan who live in high-security zone were being attacked and needed to install bullet-proof windows, it means nobody trusts the government, the Congress leader said.

A bullet-proof glass panel was recently installed outside the balcony of Salman Khan’s Bandra flat. Two members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang had opened fire outside Salman’s house last April.

“If such big people are not safe, what about common people? Even the hometown of Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has witnessed many murders and rapes in last ten days,” Londhe said, referring to Nagpur.

“It clearly indicates that Fadnavis has completely failed in maintaining law and order in Maharashtra,” he said.

NCP (SP) Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule expressed concern over the attack on Khan, terming the incident as “worrisome”.

Another NCP (SP) leader and former home minister Anil Deshmukh said the attack on a big star like Saif Ali Khan was very unfortunate, and the police department should take strict action.

It is the government’s responsibility to provide an environment free from fear for artistes, he said.