Salman Khan retracts his tweets on Yakub Memon, apologises for any misunderstanding
Mumbai: Salman Khan's tweets defending 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon on Sunday sparked a flurry of diverse reactions, with parties like BJP expressing outrage while some others including Left opposed capital punishment.
I had tweeted that Tiger Memon should hang for his crimes and I stand by it. What i also said is that Yakub Memon should not hang for him.
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) July 26, 2015I have not said or implied that Yakub Memon is innocent. I have complete faith in the judicial system of our country.
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) July 26, 2015Many lives were lost in the Mumbai blasts. And I have repeatedly said the loss of one innocent life is equal to the loss of all humanity.
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) July 26, 2015My dad called & said I should retract my tweets as they have the potential to create misunderstanding. I here by retract them.
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) July 26, 2015I would like to unconditionally apologise for any misunderstanding I may have created unintentionally.
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) July 26, 2015I also strongly condemn those who are claiming my tweets are anti religious. I have always said I respect all faiths and I always will.
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) July 26, 2015 Salman has been facing the heat all day from various politicians and fans alike. The #SalmanWithTerrorists also made it to the number one trending topic on the micro bloging site. In the course of the day, several politicians came up to voice their opinion against the actor and his comments. Congress said the Supreme Court verdict should be respected and all must "follow the course of the law" while Shiv Sena said Salman's remarks should be ignored. BJP spokesperson Shaina NC said, "No opinion can absolve a conspirator or a mastermind. Supreme Court gave verdict on hardcore evidence and none of us are in position to undermine the verdict given by the apex court of the country." Party MP from the city Kirit Somaiya demanded that Salman should apologise to the country and said he would raise the issue in Parliament. Uttar Pradesh BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai alleged Salman's remarks tantamount to "abetting terror" and "rubbing salt" on the wounds of those who lost their family members in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. Congress leader Digvijay Singh said the court's decision has come and "we must all follow the course of the law". "Terrorism has no caste or religion or sect. Whoever is involved in terrorism- whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian must be dealt with severity. I do not know whether Yakub Memon surrended himself or was arrested. But the court's decision has come, and we must all follow the course of the law," he said. He, however, questioned BJP government for supporting the hanging of Yakub Memon while "asking agencies to proceed slowly in bomb blast cases like Malegaon, Modasa, Samjhauta express, Ajmer Dargah Sharif involving people from the Sangh". Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said such remarks should not be given much importance. "Nothing will move forward if we start thinking and pondering about tweets of individuals....It would be better to overlook such remarks because if tweets start deciding judicial verdicts then what is the point of going to the Supreme Court?" he said to a query on the issue. In a series of tweets posted late last night, Salman said, "Don't hang brother (Yakub) hang tha lomdi (fox --referring to Yakub's fugitive brother Tiger) who ran away. "1 innocent man killed is killing the humanity," the actor said, adding "Get tiger hang him. Parade him not his brother." Salman has a whopping 1.31crore followers on Twitter and his meaage was retweeted immediately.
