July 27, 2016
New Delhi: The only witness against Salman Khan in an 18-year-old case of killing protected antelopes or chinkara in Rajasthan has told NDTV that he has been living in fear and never testified in court because his family had been threatened.
July 27, 2016
New Delhi: The only witness against Salman Khan in an 18-year-old case of killing protected antelopes or chinkara in Rajasthan has told NDTV that he has been living in fear and never testified in court because his family had been threatened.
Harish Dulani, the driver of the jeep used by Mr. Khan during an alleged hunt in 1998 during a movie shoot, has been missing since 2002, which weakened the prosecution's case.
Earlier this week, the 50-year-old star was acquitted by the high court in two cases for lack of evidence.
"I stick to the statement I made before the magistrate 18 years ago, that Salman Khan got off the car and shot the deer," said Mr. Dulani, who was sacked by the car company that hired him to drive the Gypsy used by the actor.
"I am not an absconder. My father received threats, I got scared and moved out of a town near Jodhpur. If I had police protection, I could have given a statement. That was what I always intended," he said, claiming that he was threatened every time he tried to attend a court hearing.
Mr. Dulani says he drove Salman Khan for a week in 1998 from September 26 to October 1. He said he is ready to go to the court and testify in a third case that is yet to be decided – the alleged poaching of endangered blackbuck – but is scared.
"I want to appeal to NDTV that my life is in danger. I am ready to go to court but I want protection."
Actor Salman Khan was acquitted of chinkara poaching charges by Rajasthan High Court
While dropping charges against Mr. Khan on Monday, the court overturned earlier verdicts that sentenced him to jail for five years and said there was no evidence to prove that the deer found dead were shot with Mr. Khan's licensed gun.
The court also agreed with Mr. Khan's lawyer, who had argued that Mr. Dulani was unreliable and never available to them for cross-examination.
Mr. Dulani's statement was seen as dubious in parts; he had told a judge just after that incident that "Salman Khan was not only driving the gypsy, he was also shooting the deer. He even got off to slit the neck of the deer and then drove the car again."
In 2007, Mr. Khan spent a week in jail in Jodhpur before being granted bail.
Salman Khan is Bollywood’s most colourful, controversial Khan. In spite of a dozen erratic career moves, he is still a mighty force at the domestic B.O.
Sallu has, so far, had a rollercoaster life full of thrills and frills. His friends would swear that he "has a heart of gold". His enemies (from the Black Buck… to now Aamir Khan) would lament his notorious temper. His fans would celebrate each of those carefully manufactured muscle blocks, and give a thunderous ovation every time he steps on screen.
You can love him. You can hate him. You can laugh at him. You can call him a Boy among Men. But there is no ignoring Salman Khan. For, here's one macho hero, who stands up for himself and for what he thinks he believes in!
Courtesy: NDTV
