Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait has called on Bollywood actor Salman Khan to apologise to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi regarding the 1998 black buck case, cautioning that there could be repercussions if he does not, reported Hindustan Times.
“Yeh samaj se juda hua mamla hai. Salman Khan ko mandir jaa kar maafi maang leni chahiye, nahi toh jail me band aadmi pata nahi kab tapakwa de (This issue is connected to society. Salman Khan should go to a temple and apologise; otherwise, you never know when the person in jail might act against him),” Tikait stated.
He further described Lawrence Bishnoi as “a bad man”, HT reported.
Tikait’s comments follow the recent murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, who was shot by three assailants reportedly associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. He emphasised that an apology would benefit Khan and demonstrate respect for the Bishnoi community.
Baba Siddique (66), a former Maharashtra minister, was shot dead in the night of October 12 outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai’s upscale Bandra area.
Salman Khan became a target of Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang after his name cropped up in the 1998 Blackbuck killing case. The incident occurred during the shooting of the 1999 film ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain,’ and it is alleged that Salman Khan hunted a blackbuck in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. In a 2023 interview with a TV channel, Lawrence Bishnoi said Salman Khan had disrespected the Bishnoi community by killing a blackbuck, news agency PTI reported on August 30.
On April 24 this year, Navi Mumbai Police registered a case against 18 identified and other unidentified members of the Bishnoi gang for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to kill Salman Khan at his farmhouse at Panvel near Mumbai.
Lawrence Bishnoi has made several alarming statements regarding Khan, including a 2018 court appearance where he threatened, “We will kill Salman Khan in Jodhpur. Everyone will know once we take action.” His threats have been directed at Khan and other figures, like singer Gippy Grewal, underscoring a broader pattern of intimidation.
