The crowd outside Salman Khan’s residence in Galaxy Apartments, Bandra, was screaming when he emerged and waved from a balcony in the evening. Relief and joy was the mood outside, once news of the High Court suspending Salman Khan’s sentence broke.
A few hundred fans had gathered before Galaxy Apartments from early morning. Bollywood star Ajay Devgn, former MLA Baba Siddiqui and others were spotted entering the building. Firecrackers were burst outside and mobile cameras flashed.
The news of the superstar receiving bail in the 2002 hit-and-run-case brought tears of joy to some fans who had been standing under the balcony of the actor’s house for hours.
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The fans were chased away by the police from time to time. However, the number of feet outside his residence only kept increasing. People waited in the heat and the decibel levels rose as they anticipated the actor’s return home.
“For 25 years, I have been following Salman bhai and have managed to meet him three times, first in Mehboob Studio, then in Carmel School and once, when he returned from Jodhpur. I had just offered my Jummah congregational prayers when my wife called me and gave me the good news of Salman bhai’s bail. Allah had listened to me, I couldn’t control my happiness and rushed straight to the Galaxy apartments. I have told my wife to prepare biryani, Bhai is returning home and we will celebrate Eid together,” said Shahid Qureshi, one of the fans.
Read: HIGHLIGHTS: Salman Khan gets bail, five-year sentence suspended
Congress politician Baba Siddiqui was delighted by the news of the bail and said, “Truth prevails. Today, the judge made observations of the report and the defence contested it. The reasons for applying section 304 (II) was also discussed. The family is relieved. The faith that we showed in the higher court and the judiciary has paid off. I haven’t spoken to Salman yet, but everyone has given a positive reaction.”
A young actor who is shooting with Khan in the upcoming film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo as his bodyguard, said he had been praying at the Shiv temple for Salman’s bail for a week. “Salman bhai is a great human being. Once while shooting, his coat fell and I rushed to pick it up. He stopped me, picked it up himself and said we should learn to take care of ourselves. I can’t express in words how happy I am to hear the good news.”
Read: Salman Khan Convicted: Outside court, it was police vs ‘emotional’ fans
