‘Was Saif Ali Khan really stabbed… his quick recovery a medical miracle’: Sena, BJP leaders raise questions, spark row

“The doctors said that a 2.5 inch knife pierced Saif Ali Khan’s back. A part of the knife could also have been stuck inside. A surgery was performed on him for six hours. All this happened on January 16. He got discharged on January 21. How can he become so fit immediately?… Wonderful,” the Sena leader and former MP wrote.

On Thursday, BJP minister Nitesh Rane said he doubted Saif’s quick recovery.

“I saw how he (Saif) was he came out of the hospital… I doubt if he was really stabbed or he was just acting. Whenever any Khan like Shahrukh Khan or Saif Ali Khan get hurt, everyone starts talking and sympathising,” Rane said.

In an indirect reference to Baramati MP Supriya Sule, Rane said the NCP (SP) leader “only reacts when people like Saif Ali Khan, Nawab Malik, and Shahrukh Khan’s son get hurt”.

“However, she is silent on Sushant Singh (Rajput’s) suicide. She does not say anything after the attacks on Hindu actors and artists,” Rane said.

Nirupam told The Indian Express he agreed with Rane position on the Opposition’s alleged bias.

“I agree with what Rane said about the biases of the Opposition. They should not indulge in such bias and should not look at the actors considering their religion and should look at them only as an artist,” Nirupam said.

The former Lok Sabha MP said he “along with other Mumbaikars” had “an innocent question about the severity of the injuries inflicted on Saif during the attack” and added it was a “medical miracle” that Saif recovered quickly.

“I am saying that the attack took place on Saif Ali Khan, I am not denying that. Doctors said that the attack was a brutal and deadly one… The knife was stuck inside his body and he was soaked in blood when he reached the hospital. That means he was bleeding profusely. In these circumstances, how did the actor recover within four days? This was the question on my mind… Despite the injuries, how can a person come back home running and dancing?” Nirupam said.

He added that the Khan family should “reveal how serious” the attack was because “there was no one except for the family in the house during the attack”.

“The sequence (of the attack) needs to come out as it also raises questions on the security of the housing society and CCTV surveillance in the society. The accused was in the house for around an hour during which this whole incident took place, so the question arises how come no one else rushed to his rescue,” Nirupam said.

“After this incident, an atmosphere was created in Mumbai that the law and order of Mumbai has collapsed; the Home Ministry has failed; the Maharashtra government has been ruined; and every citizen in Mumbai is unsafe,” Nirupam said.

Rane’s statement drew sharp criticism from the Congress, with leaders such as state party chief Nana Patole saying Rane was deliberately mixing religion and politics.

“Mixing religion and politics is BJP’s agenda to divert the attention from issues being faced by people,” he said.

Shiv Sena leader and minister Yogesh Kadam distanced himself from Rane’s statement, saying “discussion on the matter must stop”.

The minister said: “The culprit has been arrested and the police has informed the media about whatever has come up in the investigation. All other speculations are false. The police have done a commendable job.”

Sena leader Krishna Hegde said that if Saif has recovered well and quickly, it should be appreciated.

Khan was attacked in his home by an intruder on January 16. The intruder was first spotted in the house by Eliyamma Philip who works for the Khan family. The intruder was allegedly in the room of Khan’s children and had demanded Rs 1 crore. After Khan was alerted about the intruder, a scuffle is said to have broken out. The intruder is said to have stabbed Khan six times during the attack. Khan travelled to the Lilavati hospital in Mumbai in an auto after managing to escape. The accused has been arrested.