Fans rejoice, animal activists rant over freedom for Salman

Jodhpur erupted in celebration, minutes after the Rajasthan High court gave a clean chit to Bollywood actor Salman Khan in the Chinkara poaching cases.

The actor’s fans, who were waiting outside the court for both Salman and the verdict, danced to tunes from his recent releases, ‘Baby ko bass pasand hai’ and ‘Main hoon hero tera’. Some held up huge posters of his movies while others were seen wearing Salman T-shirts. As the verdict came on the auspicious first Monday of Shravana month, many fans visited nearby Shiva temples and performed ‘puja’. However, most of the fans waiting to get a glimpse of the actor, looked upset as Salman was absent in court.

Wildlife and animal activists are finding it hard to believe that the high court had overturned the 2006 verdict which indicted Salman. Harsh Vardhan, renowned wildlife activist, told DH: “By overturning 2006 verdict and allowing Khan to walk free shows insensitive approach towards animals and Wildlife Protection Act.”