It was from an Algerian cab driver in Paris that I learnt of Salman Khan’s conviction in the blackbuck poaching case. He also said it is weird that common people and celebrities are supporting a criminal when the courts have found evidence against him. It is true we take cinema very seriously in India, but have we lost the line between an actor and his onscreen character? Or do we fail to see that intention, action and persona are different things?
Salman Khan has been accused of poaching blackbucks, which are revered among the Bishnoi community. For more than 500 years, the Bishnoi community has served as the protector of wildlife in western Rajasthan. Earlier too, the community had played its part in the conviction of the actor in two other cases of poaching chinkara.
The Bishnois, a sub-sect of Hindus, believe in compassion for all living beings and protect the entire ecosystem that exists in their villages. Endangered birds and animals find safe havens in Bishnoi villages. Bishnoi women are also known to breastfeed orphaned or abandoned young animals. And it is this community which has filed the case against Salman Khan again.
Salman Bhai has many supporters in the film industry. Many fans fainted at the news of his arrest. But all this drama does not deny the fact that he did kill an endangered animal for pleasure. In fact, many have also questioned the acquittal of other co-stars who accompanied him during the film shoot.
Now, the actor has received bail in the case. The news was celebrated with reigning TRPs on all media platforms. He may have been saved as a beneficiary of mass love and hysteria over cricket and Bollywood in our country.
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This is not the first time that Salman has been found on the wrong side of law. In 2002, he was also accused of running over five homeless men in Mumbai, killing one of them. He also has been known for his notorious party brawls, and manhandling ex-girlfriends. But the masses may have a memory deficit when it comes to their superstars.
Salman’s ‘Being Human’ foundation may be involved in charity, but that does not absolve him of criminal conduct if he has committed a wrong.
In two of the four cases that were originally filed against him for killing the rare animals, he was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison in 2006, but spent less than a week inside before being released on bail. And in July 2016, in a major setback for the prosecution, the Rajasthan high court overturned his conviction.
For now, Salman Khan has been given a bail. And he may have hopes of coming out of this case untainted. But one can also hope that the Indian judiciary will maintain the necessary objectivity and deliver justice to the Bishnoi community where justice is long due.
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