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Salman, Saif, others chargesheeted in black bucks case

Bollywood stars Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre were today chargesheeted in the court of the additional judicial magistrate in Jodhpur for killing two black bucks in October 1998.

The black bucks were killed on October 1, in Guda Vishnoiyon, Bishnoi, just three days after Salman and some others allegedly killed two chinkaras, for which they have been chargesheeted. Both cases were pursued by Mahendra Singh Kachhawa, advocate for the Wildlife Protection Society of India. The animals are listed as endangered and are covered by the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.

The inhabitants of the area worship the animals as descendants of Lord Krishna. As a result, the hunting party was chased away. The dead black bucks were produced by the Bishnois before the forest officer the next morning and a case was registered. The others accused are Dinesh Gavre and Dushyant Singh.

Salman, who had been arrested on October 12 that year and released on bail five days later, had along with others been in Rajasthan for the shooting of the film Hum Saath Saath Hain, directed by Sooraj Barjatya. While he had got bail on October 15 in the black bucks case, he had been refused anticipatory bail in the chinkara case till October 17 when he was finally released. The others had been granted bail on October 12 itself.

A case was also filed against Salman under the Arms Act at the Luni police station in this district.

At a meeting on October 11 that year in Jaipur, then Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat had constituted a high-level team to supervise and expedite investigations into the poaching and assured action against the guilty.

UNI

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