New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, while speaking about the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, dubbed the incident as unfortunate but underlined that it would be wrong to claim that Mumbai is unsafe. His reaction came after his government faced widespread criticism from opposition leaders and some members of the film industry.
Talking to reporters on Thursday afternoon, after he had attended a special screening of the movie ‘Emergency’, Fadnavis pointed out that Mumbai is the safest among all the megacities across the country. He acknowledged that while some incidents do occur occasionally and should be taken seriously, it would be wrong to call Mumbai as unsafe based on a single incident. “This tarnish the city’s image. However, the government is actively working to make Mumbai even safer.”
‘If celebrities are not safe, who in Mumbai is?’
Following the alleged burglary bid at Saif Ali Khan’s home in Bandra, during which the actor was stabbed multiple times, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi was among the first to slam the government, raising a question, “If celebrities are not safe, who in Mumbai is?”
Taking to X, she wrote: “What a shame that Mumbai sees another high-profile attempt on life, the attack on Saif Ali Khan yet again raises questions on Mumbai Police and the Home Minister. This is after a series of incidents that show there is a deliberate attempt to undermine Mumbai by targeting big names.”
The MP also highlighted the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique in October last year and the shooting outside actor Salman Khan’s home in April. Both incidents occurred in Bandra, one of Mumbai’s most upscale neighbourhoods, which is home to many of the city’s affluent and prominent figures.
