Was Saif Ali Khan really attacked, questions Nitesh Rane-Read

Opposition leaders like Jitendra Awhad, Supriya Sule remained silent on Sushant Singh Rajput’s case but are vocal about Khan’s situation, says Maharashtra Minister

Pune: Maharashtra Minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane sparked a controversy on Thursday after he raised questions over the knife attack on Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan wondering if the Bollywood star was “really attacked or if he was acting”.

The statement from Rane comes a day after former Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam raised questions about the actor’s swift return to normal life following a six-hour surgery for deep stab wounds. Rane further spoke on perceived biases, claiming that while many speak out when a ‘Khan’ is attacked, similar attention is not given to Hindu actors. He was referring to late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who died by suicide in June 2020, and said that opposition leaders like Jitendra Awhad and Supriya Sule had remained silent on Rajput’s case but were now vocal about Khan’s situation.

“Opposition leaders Jitendra Awhad and Supriya Sule did not speak about (late actor) Sushant Singh Rajput. She is concerned only about Saif Ali Khan,” Rane alleged. The statement of Rane drew sharp criticism from Congress, which accused the government of mixing religion and politics.

In response, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole condemned Rane’s remarks, labelling them as an attempt to create a “religious divide” and distract from pressing issues. “Mixing religion and politics is BJP’s agenda to divert the attention from issues being faced by people,” he said. He urged police to focus on capturing the actual perpetrator rather than politicising the situation and alleged that there are discrepancies in the probe as some reports suggest that the individual caught on CCTV may not be the same as the one arrested.

“Instead of raising Hindu-Muslim angle in law and order situations, police must catch the real culprit. There are reports about the person caught on CCTV and the one arrested (in the Saif attack case) not being the same person.