NEW DELHI: A petition was filed in a Delhi court seeking to lodge an FIR against actors Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, and others for allegedly making a casteist remark during the promotion of the movie Tiger Zinda Hai.
The court listed the matter for consideration for February 27 and also sought a reply from the Delhi police on the complaint.
The plea, filed in the Patiala House Court, alleged that the accused persons had “committed atrocity” on the members of the caste and insulted and humiliated them by making the casteist remark.
The complaint, filed by Harnam Singh, a former Chairman of Delhi Commission for Karamcharis, alleged that the remark was made by Khan during a programme on a television channel while Kaif, “rather than protesting at the offensive and insensitive statement, joined the accused number 1 (Khan) in insulting and abusing the victim through her conduct.”
Kaif had allegedly only laughed at the comment.
Earlier, in December, an FIR was filed against superstar Salman at Andheri Police station for allegedly using the word bhangi on a public platform that hurt the sentiments of the Scheduled Caste community. An FIR was also filed against actor Shilpa Shetty.
Rojgar Aghari Republican Party of India Vice President Kishore Masoom stated, “We highly condemn Salman and Shilpa for using such words that show us in a bad light. We have filed a complaint and will hold a protest in front of Salman’s house. According to the law, he has to serve five years imprisonment.”
Asked if he thought Salman Khan would get bail easily due to his fan following, Masoom said, “No one is above the law. And talking of his fans, only the elite people did not make him ‘Salman Khan the Star’, people like us watch his films too. Who will support a man who is so disrespectful towards his fans? We are hurt.”
Massive protests were held against Salman, with the Valmiki community members disrupting Tiger Zinda Hai’s screening in cinemas across the state in protest against the alleged use of a pejorative word by the star. The protesters alleged that Salman had insulted the Valmiki community by using “cheap language”.
