The arrest of Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammed Rohilla Amin Fakir, a Bangladeshi national, in connection with the stabbing of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has sparked a political storm. Following the detention of Fakir by the Mumbai police on Sunday morning in Thane, opposition parties, particularly the UBT faction of Shiv Sena, have blamed the Centre for failing to curb the threat posed by illegal immigrants. Sanjay Raut, MP from the UBT faction, criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its inconsistent stance, pointing to their previous claims of 'love jihad' in relation to Saif Ali Khan's relationship with Kareena Kapoor. He noted that discussions about their son Taimur only gained traction after the Prime Minister’s mention of him.
The BJP, meanwhile, has suggested that the attack on Saif Ali Khan may be part of an international conspiracy, placing the responsibility on the Centre and calling for Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation. Raut demanded that a BJP delegation meet with the people regarding the eviction of illegal immigrants such as Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. Raut further criticized the government's performance despite holding a strong majority in parliament, implying that the BJP's victory was achieved through questionable means, leaving the government ineffective in its functioning.
Fifty-four-year-old Khan suffered grievous injuries, after he was stabbed six times reportedly by Shehzad during a failed burglary attempt at the actor's 12th floor residence in "Satguru Sharan" building in upscale Bandra. The doctors who performed an emergency surgery had removed a 2.5-inch piece of a broken knife from his spine afterwards.
In her statement to the police, actor Kareena Kapoor Khan recalled the attack on her husband and said she saw the intruder stab him repeatedly. "The attacker was aggressive. I saw him attack Saif repeatedly...Our priority was to take Saif to the hospital," she said. A nurse caring for the couple's younger son Jehangir (Jeh), Eliyama Philips - who first encountered the intruder - said the accused had demanded Rs 1 crore. Multiple teams of the police and the crime branch worked on several inputs and analysed footage from several CCTV cameras to track down Khan's attacker.