"Salman Khan should apologize to the Bishnoi community"

India’s veteran Bhajan singer Anup Jalota advised Bollywood superstar Salman Khan to apologize to the Bishnoi community to end their long-standing feud, related to the blackbucks poaching incident.

Days after Salman’s father and veteran writer Salim Khan refuted his son’s involvement in the blackbuck poaching case, Jalota stated, “I just want to say that it is not the time to get into who killed and who didn’t… One should realise that Salman’s close friend Baba Siddique was allegedly killed because of the same. Now, the focus should be on solving the conflict.”

“I have a small request for Salman to go to the temple and apologise to ensure his safety and protect his family and close friends. I am sure they will accept his apology,” he added. “Salman should go and then lead a safe life… It is not the time to complicate the matter. Whether he killed or not, Salman should apologise. No one will get anything by getting stuck into the feud.”

Notably, in his new interview last week, a day after Salman received fresh threats, allegedly from the Bishnoi gang, Salim Khan asserted that his son loves animals and he had not killed the blackbucks. The veteran also maintained that the actor was not even present at the time of the incident.

Also Read: Salman Khan urged to issue ‘super counter threat’ to Lawrence Bishnoi

1998 Black Buck case

For the unversed, Salman Khan is accused of illegal hunting and killing of two blackbucks in Jodhpur, Rajasthan during the shooting of his film ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ in 1998.

The event sparked widespread outrage, particularly from the Bishnoi community, for the sacred significance that blackbucks hold for them. Since then, Khan has received multiple life threats and lawyer-turned-gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who was barely 5 at the time of the incident, has openly admitted to plans to eliminate the actor for revenge.

Salman Khan house firing incident

Earlier this year, Khan was also attacked by the same gang, when two bike-borne assailants fired five rounds of gunshots outside his residence in Galaxy Apartment of Bandra, Mumbai, out of which one bullet landed on his balcony.

Hours after the shocking event, Bishnoi’s brother Anmol claimed responsibility for the firing incident in a purported social media post.

Somy Ali’s appeal

After the firing incident, Khan’s ex-girlfriend Somy Ali publicly apologized to the community on his behalf and appealed to them not to harm the ‘Tiger 3’ star. However, in response, the President of All India Bishnoi Society, Devendra Budiya, demanded that the actor should visit their temple and seek forgiveness for the alleged himself.