Will consider only if Salman Khan tenders personal apology in blackbuck case: Bishnoi society head

Jaipur, May 14 After former Bollywood star and Salman Khan's ex-girlfriend Somy Ali recently apologised to the Bishoi community and urged it to forgive the star actor in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, the President of the All India Bishnoi Society, Devendra Budiya, said on Monday that the community will consider the matter if Salman Khan tenders a personal apology.

Salman Khan is accused of hunting down blackbucks at Bawad in Mathania near Jodhpur in September 1998 during the shooting of Sooraj Barjatya’s film ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’.

Two days back, Somy Ali appealed to the Bishnoi community to forgive Salman Khan, saying, "I apologise on his behalf if he has made a mistake; please forgive him. Taking someone's life is not acceptable, be it Salman or an average common man."

Reacting to Somy Ali's statement, Devendra Budiya (Bishnoi) said: "If Salman himself apologises, the Bishnoi society will consider the apology. The mistake was not made by Somy Ali, but it was committed by Salman. Therefore, he should propose to the Bishnoi society that he wants to apologise.

“He should come to the temple and seek forgiveness. He should further take an oath that he will never make such a mistake in the future and will always work to protect wildlife and conserve the environment. If he does this, a decision of the society to forgive him will be considered."

Salman Khan along with actors Tabu, Sonali Bendre, and Neelam were booked for hunting blackbucks while shooting for 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' in October 1998. He was also sentenced to five-year rigorous imprisonment in 2018, though he is out on bail presently.

On April 14, two miscreants opened fire at Salman Khan's Mumbai residence. The plot was believed to be hatched by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi as a fallout of the blackbuck poaching case, triggering the apology from Somy Ali.

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