On Monday, the President of the All India Bishnoi Society, Devendra Budiya, stated that the community would contemplate pardoning Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case if he were to offer a personal apology. Khan was accused of hunting blackbucks at Bawad in Mathania near Jodhpur in September 1998, during the filming of Sooraj Barjatya's film 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'. The statement came after Salman's ex-girlfriend Somy Ali apologised to the community on his behalf. She appealed to the head of the Bishnoi tribe to forgive and move on, apologizing on Salman's behalf. She condemned the idea of taking life and urged that those seeking justice should pursue legal avenues, highlighting that retaliation against Salman will not reverse the past.
Reacting to Ali's statement, Budiya said, "If Salman Khan himself apologises, the Bishnoi society will consider the apology as the mistake was not made by Somy Ali, but by Salman. No one else can apologise on his behalf. If he comes to the temple and seeks forgiveness, our samaj (community) could think about forgiving him because one of our 29 rules is forgiveness. Salman should further take an oath that he will never make such a mistake and will work to protect wildlife and the environment, then we can consider a decision to forgive him."
Recently, an unsettling incident took place outside Salman Khan's residence when shots were fired by an unidentified individual. The event caused significant concern for the actor's safety among his family and fans, though no one was injured. It is to be noted that blackbucks are considered sacred by the Bishnoi community. During a court appearance in 2018, Bishnoi threatened to kill the actor as a punishment. He vowed "We will kill Salman Khan in Jodhpur. Everyone will know once we take action. I have not done anything as of now, they are accusing me of crimes for no reason." Since then, the actor's life has been under constant threat and scrutiny.
On the work front, the Tiger actor is currently preparing for his next film titled The Bull, directed by Vishnu Vardhan and produced by Karan Johar. His next project would be Sikander directed by AR Murugadoss with Animal actress Rashmika Mandanna as the leading lady.
