The Indian news agency, Devendra Budiya, President of All India Bishnoi Society, stated in response to Somy Ali’s appeal to not harm Khan, stating their condition to forgive him in the 1998 black buck case.
“If Salman himself apologizes, the Bishnoi society will consider the apology as the mistake was not made by Somy Ali, but by Salman. No one else can apologize on his behalf,” Budiya was quoted saying in Hindi by the agency.
“Therefore, he should propose to the Bishnoi society that he wants to apologize. If he comes to the temple and seeks forgiveness, our community could think about forgiving him because one of our 29 rules is forgiveness,” he added. “Salman should further take an oath that he will never make such a mistake and will work to protect wildlife and the environment, then we can consider a decision to forgive him.”
1998 Black Buck case
For the unversed, Khan allegedly hunted a black buck at Bawad in Mathania near Jodhpur, Rajasthan, during the shooting of his film ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ with Sooraj Barjatya. The ‘Tiger 3’ star along with his co-actors Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam, was booked in October 1998, whereas the former was also sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment, but was issued bail.
The species is considered sacred for the Bishnoi community and gangster Lawrence Bishnoi openly admitted to plans to eliminate Khan for killing it, followed by a series of attacks on him, with the recent one being outside Khan’s residence in Galaxy apartment of Bandra, Mumbai, on April 14, by the shooters of his gang.
Somy Ali’s appeal
Days after the attack, Khan’s ex-girlfriend expressed her concerns for the actor’s safety and despite the ugly and much-public split with the Bollywood superstar, she appealed to the Bishnoi community not to harm him as it would not bring back the killed black buck.