After his scriptwriter-father Salim Khan publicly upbraided him for his controversial tweets that the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts death row-convict Yakub Memon should not be hanged for the crimes committed by absconding mastermind Tiger Memon, Bollywood actor Salman Khan on Sunday apologised for his comment and retracted his tweets as “they have the potential to create misunderstanding” among the people.
Within hours after his father pulled him up for putting out a series of tweets seeking mercy for Yakub and rooting strongly for the execution of the latter's brother and the 1993 blasts mastermind Tiger Memon, Salman stated, “I would like to unconditionally apologise for any misunderstanding I may have created unintentionally.... My dad called and said I should retract my tweets as they have the potential to create misunderstanding. I hereby retract them”.
On a day when a group of eminent jurists, MPs, political leaders and several prominent citizens petitioned President Pranab Mukherjee seeking mercy for Yakub, 49-year-old Salman went on a frantic tweeting spree on his handle @ BeingSalmanKhan, castigating that blasts mastermind Tiger and expressing his sympathy towards younger Memon, Yakub, who is slated to go to the gallows on July 30 in the 1993-Mumbai blasts case.
Salman came in for severe flak from various quarters for his controversial tweets on Yakub. While his father Salim swiftly resorted to damage control exercise to save his son from becoming a target of public ridicule, the ruling BJP staged protests in front of his Bandra residence in North-West Mumbai, demanding cancellation of Salman’s bail in the much-discussed hit-and-run case.
An upset Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar met Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and submitted a memorandum, seeking cancellation of the bail granted to the actor by the Bombay High Court in the hit-and-run case.
Talking to mediapersons after submitting the memorandum, Shelkar said: “Despite he himself being a convict in the 2002 hit-and-run case), it is sad that Salman is defending 1993 Mumbai serial blasts death-row convict Yakub convict. This shows that the actor does not have any respect for the Supreme Court that has upheld the death sentence of Yakub in the serial blasts case. This being case the case, the bail granted to the convicted actor in the 2002 hit-and-run case should be cancelled forthwith and he be put behind the bars”.
The BJP Yuva Morcha staged a dharna in front of Salman's residence at Bandra in north-west Mumbai, protesting against the actor's tweets and demanding the cancellation of the latter's bail in the 2002 hit-and-run case.
Within a couple of hours after Salman's tweets went viral on the social media, his pragmatic father Salim Khan publicly rebuked his son, saying whatever the actor had written was “ridiculous and meaningless”, that the latter ( Salman) was “ignorant” of the issue and that the people should not take the actor seriously.
Sr Khan also advised Salman to aplogise unconditionally and retract his controversial tweets, an advice that the actor heeded immediately.
The day began with Salman going overdrive on his twitter handle commenting on the impending execution of Yakub.
Ridiculing Tiger Memon for making younger brother Yakub pay for his sins, the actor tweeted: “No 1 ever Address him as tiger ever. Does not deserve that at all. Hang that........ fill in the blanks...been wanting to tweet Tis fr 3 days n was afraid to do so but it involves a man's n family. Don't hang brother hang tha lomdi who ran away”
Requesting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to let India know if Tiger Memon was in his country and daring the absconding blasts mastermind to come out of his hiding, the actor wrote: “Sharif Saab ek darkhaust hai k agar yeh aap k mulkh mein hai toh plz iktila kar deejiyeh.... (Directed to Tiger Memon)Kidhar chupa hai tigerIJ Hey koi tiger nahi hai hai hai billi aur hum ek billi ko nahi pakad sakteh”.
In appeal to the Indian Government, Salman wrote: “Get tiger hang him. Parade him not his brother (Yakub)..... (Expressing sympathy towards Yakub Memon) 1 innocent man killed is killing the humanity”
Reacting swiftly to Salman's tweets, his father Salim Khan said: “Whatever Salman has written is ridiculous and meaningless. Salman is ignorant of the issue and people should not take him seriously”.
While agreeing with Salman on one thing - that Yakub should not be hanged, Salim said: “Yakub should be kept in jail rather be hanged. Keeping him alive is a bigger punishment”.
Chastened by father's rebuke, Salman Khan later in the afternoon sought to make amends for his controversial tweets, through another round of series of tweets;
“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... Many 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,” the actor tweeted.
“I have not said or implied that Yakub Memon is innocent. I have complete faith in the judicial system of our country,” Salman stated.
“My dad called & said I should retract my tweets as they have the potential to create misunderstanding. I hereby retract them...I would like to unconditionally apologise for any misunderstanding I may have created unintentionally,” he said in a couple of tweets.
Condemning those seeking to give a communal colour to his tweets, Salman stated: “I also strongly condemn those who are claiming my tweets are anti religious. I have always said I respect all faiths and I always will...My dad called & said I should retract my tweets as they have the potential to create misunderstanding. I hereby retract them”.