Everyone wants to know about Salman Khan; who cares about Nuru Behra?
Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Mumbai
Nobody wanted to know who the dead man was, but everybody outside the
Bandra police station in northwest Mumbai wanted to know the fate of
Salman Khan.
Early on Saturday morning, the Bollywood star had allegedly run over four people killing Nuru alias Behra and injuring three others, two of them seriously.
"Nuru was very upset with life since his wife had left him to marry
another man," recalled Mohammad Muslim who was sleeping next to Nuru on
the Bandra pavement when the Landcruiser drove over them.
"Just last night he told me how he was passing through a difficult time
and how upset he was with life," Muslim said as he lay in the Bhabha
hospital with a fractured leg. Alongside lay another of those injured,
Abdullah Rauf Shaikh.
"I saw Salman coming out of the car after the accident," Muslim alleged.
"He did not have the courtesy to take us to hospital even though we
were crying out in pain. He ran away when people (near the accident
site) started beating him up and the other man in the car, (singer)
Kamal Khan."
Salman Khan was driving down from the J W Mariott hotel in Juhu, about
three kilometers away from the accident site, to his home in Bandra. The
police complaint alleged he was driving the Landcruiser; traveling him
were Kamal Khan and police Constable Ravindra Patil who was there to
provide Salman Khan protection after the star complained he had received
threats from gangsters.
Muslim alleged that the star's younger brother, actor Arbaaz Khan,
arrived soon after the accident to remove the CD player from the
vehicle, but he too did not bother to find out who was injured.
"We were crying out in pain, but Salman's brother asked who had dared
hit his brother.🤢 After the crowd chased him he too ran away," Muslim
said. "I am worried how I will meet my medical expenses. I have no money
to pay for my treatment."
Muslim, a native of Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, arrived in Mumbai two months
ago to work at a bakery so that he could send some money back to his
poor parents. He said he had managed to save Rs 1,000 so far to send
home.
"I don't know how long it will take for me to recover or when I can get
back to work. I only hope someone compensates me for this accident,"
Muslim said.
Muslim and Shaikh, both of who suffered fractures, have been admitted to
the Bhabha hospital, a facility run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation. They share a ward with 20 other patients on the hospital's
eighth floor.
The owner of the bakery, where Muslim and Shaikh are employed, refused
to speak to this correspondent. Other employees were instructed not to
speak to the press.
Nuru's body was handed over to his brother, who was initially pushed
around by policemen at the Bandra police station; the policemen
apparently assumed he was one of those who had gathered outside to get a
glimpse of Salman Khan.
It was only when he shouted "My brother has died and I have come to
collect his body," that police constables granted him access to the
police station.
At 0830 hours Assistant Police Inspector Nitin Yadav at the Bandra
police station had told this correspondent, "Salman Khan is absconding.
He ran away from the backdoor of his apartment when we went to arrest
him. He is wanted by the police."
Salman Khan gave himself up to the police later and was produced at the Bandra police station at 1100 hours.
He was released from police custody after a couple of hours.
By then all API Jadhav would offer by way of comment was "no comment."
The police officer was unwilling to explain how Salman Khan was
released, and under what circumstances.
Waris Pathan, the star's lawyer, told reporters, "Salman was not driving
the car and was sitting in the back seat. I have nothing more to say;
the case is sub judice."
Pathan would not confirm if Salman Khan had secured bail. It was left to
Wazir Amrohi, one of the star's relatives, to confirm to reporters that
Salman Khan had indeed obtained bail and that Amrohi had signed the
relevant papers.
Before Salman Khan was released Assistant Commissioner of Police Subhash
Jadhav informed reporters, "A case has been registered against Salman
Khan under Section 304 (A) of the (Indian Penal Code) for rash and
negligent driving. This is a bailable offence and Salman can get bail."
Salman Khan took a blood test to establish if he was driving under the
influence of alcohol. However, the test was conducted several hours
after the accident occurred.
As the star left the police station, refusing to speak to reporters
about the accident that left one man dead and two others seriously
injured, reporters were asking themselves if this tragic episode too
would end up like the Puru Raaj Kumar and Sanjeev Nanda cases.
Puru Raaj Kumar, son of the late actor Raaj Kumar, drove over several
pavement dwellers outside a mosque in Bandra; several died. Three
labourers sleeping on the pavement in Delhi's Lodhi Colony died when
Nanda, grandson of former naval chief Admiral S L Nanda (retired), drove
his BMW over them.
Soon after those accidents, there was much hue and cry in the media and
outside. After a while, the accused went on with their lives, and the
dead and maimed were forgotten.
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