Salman Khan punished as he belongs to minority community, says Samajwadi Party leader

Mumbai: In a controversial statement, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal gave a communal turn to the 2002 hit-and-run case verdict, involving Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.

Media reports on Thursday quoted Agarwal saying, “ We are very sad. He (Salman) is a very big star. He has crores of fans across the country. But if the Maharashtra government has convicted him just because he belongs to the minority community, then it is an unfair decision.”

The SP leader later clarified that he was quoted out of context.

The actor was sentenced to 5 years in jail for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and driving without licence.

The trial court had found Salman guilty of ramming the American Express bakery in suburban Bandra with his Toyota Land Cruiser on September 28, 2002, killing one person and wounding four others sleeping on the pavement outside.