Why attack on Saif Ali Khan puts Bandra security, Bishnoi gang under lens

NCP leader Baba Siddique's murder in Bandra (East) last October was preceded by firing outside Salman Khan's home in Bandra (West), allegedly by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's men

In Short

• Actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed by a suspected burglar in Bandra, raising security concerns.
• The attack comes after recent violent incidents in the area involving high-profile individuals.
• Saif sustained serious injuries and underwent surgery but is now stable.

The post-midnight stabbing of actor Saif Ali Khan by a suspected burglar at his home in Bandra has raised security concerns about the posh Mumbai locality. Just three months ago, the neighbouring area of Bandra (East) witnessed the daylight murder of senior Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique and firing last April outside the building where Bollywood A-lister Salman Khan resides in Bandra (West), which is home to several Bollywood stars and celebrities.

Saif, 54, was stabbed six times during the ‘burglary attempt’ at his Bandra (West) residence in the wee hours of January 16. The assailant is said to have been first noticed and confronted by Saif’s house help, after which the actor rushed to her aid, sparking a physical scuffle with the intruder.

Initial investigations by the Mumbai police suggest the break-in at Saif’s multi-storied home from the rear entrance had occurred for the purpose of theft. Saif suffered injuries on his spine, neck and left hand. The knife was lodged in his spine at the time he reached Lilavati Hospital, and had to be removed by surgery.

Dikshit Gedam, deputy commissioner of police (zone VIII), Mumbai police, said the attacker had entered the actor’s home using the fire escape. “Investigations so far suggest this was a robbery attempt,” he added.

Ten police teams have been put on the investigation and a CCTV grab of the suspected assailant released.

The attack comes just three months after senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former minister Baba Siddique was shot dead on October 12 in Bandra (East), allegedly by members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Siddique, a former MLA of Bandra (West), had close ties with Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.

On April 14 last year, shots were fired outside Salman’s residence in Bandra (West), allegedly by two Bishnoi gang foot-soldiers. Salman is thought to be in the jailed gangster’s crosshairs over a 1998 case in which the actor was charged with hunting two blackbucks in Rajasthan. The Bishnoi community considers blackbucks to be sacred. Salman was convicted in the case. Incidentally, Saif was among the actors embroiled in the case but eventually acquitted. This has led to speculation that the stabbing attack on Saif could have links with the Bishnoi gang.

Lilavati Hospital said Saif, who had been brought in at around 2 am, had sustained a major injury to the spinal cord because of the embedded knife. “A surgery was done to remove the knife and to repair the leaking spinal fluid. Two other deep wounds on his left hand and one on the neck were repaired by the plastic surgery team. He is completely stable, recovering well and out of danger,” a statement from the hospital said. Saif’s team also confirmed the actor was doing fine.

Amidst law and order concerns, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the attack on Saif was being thoroughly investigated. Emphasising that Mumbai was the safest megacity in India, he said: “If some adverse incidents take place, they must be taken seriously, but this cannot be used to claim that Mumbai has become unsafe.”

The attack, though, has led to hectic politicking. Supriya Sule, working president of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Lok Sabha MP from Baramati, said the attack on Saif, the firing outside Salman’s residence and Siddique’s murder had “led to people feeling disturbed”. Sule called Saif’s wife Kareena Kapoor Khan to check on his condition.

Nana Patole, president of the Congress in Maharashtra, said the attack was “a glaring example of the breakdown of law and order in Maharashtra”. “If such incidents occur in the bustling area of Bandra in Mumbai, who is safe in the city? Looking at the increasing crime rates in Mumbai, Pune, Beed, Parbhani and Nagpur, one wonders if the state has a home minister at all. The BJP-led alliance government has allowed lawlessness to thrive, and the attack on Saif Ali Khan is a direct challenge to law and order by criminals,” Patole charged.

Former minister and NCP (SCP) MLA Jitendra Awhad said the attack could be part of a “pre-mediated conspiracy”. He pointed to how Saif had been criticised earlier for naming his son Taimur. “Considering this, it must be investigated if religious fundamentalists are involved in the attack,” he said.

Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), questioned the law and order situation and pointed to how Saif had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his family recently.

However, Yogesh Kadam, minister of state for home and Shiv Sena leader, said the Opposition was only intent on playing politics. “It is unfortunate that Jitendra Awhad and Sanjay Raut are voicing statements that match those of a former Pakistan minister (Fawad Chaudhry),” he said.

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