Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan refutes accusations laid on the actor over blackbuck poaching

Disclaimer: This article includes details of death, and animal cruelty.

Superstar Salman Khan was in the news for months in 1998 after being implicated in a blackbuck poaching case. Along with Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu, and Neelam, he was charged with hunting down two Chinkaras close to Jodhpur during the filming of Hum Saath Saath Hain. The Bishnoi community lodged a complaint, post the incident which led to Khan’s detention and his subsequent release on bail. As of now, Salim Khan, his father, denied his involvement in it years later.

The famous author Salim Khan shared in an interview with ABP Live that his son Salman Khan has a deep affection for animals. The veteran backed up his claim by saying that the actor would look after his pet dog when he was ill and even cried when he died.

“And he will not speak to me. He has no interest in killing animals. He loves animals. (He won't lie to me. Salman doesn't have a liking of hunting animals. He loves them.)” Salim Khan told the publication. The Economic Times stated that the actor was found guilty by a court under the Wildlife Protection Act. He received a term of five years in prison and a Rs 25,000 fine.

He was imprisoned in Jodhpur Central Jail for almost a week before the Rajasthan High Court in 2007 stayed his sentence. After that, in 2016, the same court cleared the actor involved in the 1998 blackbuck and chinkara poaching cases, stating that there was no proof Khan’s licensed firearm had shot the animals. The case went to trial once more, however, as the Rajasthan government appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. Salman received a five-year prison sentence and a Rs 10,000 fine in 2018, while the other actors were exonerated. Later on in the blackbuck poaching case, the actor was granted bail.