Salman's remarks trigger controversy

New Delhi/ Mumbai:  Bollywood actor Salman Khan has triggered a controversy by claiming that "too much hype" was created around the 26/11 attack as "elite people were targeted" and that the Pakistani government was not behind it.

In an interview to a Pakistani channel, Salman said: "Too much hype has been created around the 26/11 attacks because elite people were targeted. Attacks have happened in trains and small towns too, but no one talked about it so much."

"Everybody took this up because the Taj and Oberoi hotels were involved. The attacks happened because our security failed," he said.

"Everybody knows that the Pakistani government was not behind it and it was a terrorist attack. Our security had failed. We have had lot of attacks earlier, and all of them were not from Pakistan. They were from within also."

Salman's father Salim Khan has said that his superstar son "should not" have made the remarks on the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and should apologise. Salim also said his son is not "articulate and political" and it could have been a "wrong choice of words".

"Whatever I've heard, he should not have said that. It is wrong... He is not a very articulate person or a political person. It could have been the wrong choice of words," Salim, 74, told Aaj Tak news channel.

"He should [come forward in front of the media] and apologise and he will... He will definitely say sorry and this [repeated telecast of his comments] should be stopped immediately... I'd like to express that we should not spread the [wrong] word and add fuel to fire."

"He should come forward and apologise if he has hurt anyone or their sentiments or the words he used," Salim added.

The comments on the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks have triggered strong protests and condemnation with political leaders saying the Bollywood star's remarks were "unwarranted and irresponsible" and made "no sense".

Public Prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam said: "If Salman is making such a statement without knowing the details of the case, it is foolish. Terrorists do not strike after differentiating rich from the poor nor do they differentiate a village from a city. The attack has wide ramifications as it killed many people and because the conspiracy was allegedly hatched in Pakistan."

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Anant Gadgil dismissed Salman's comments as baseless. "This statement is not right. It is not about taking note of the attack because rich people were killed. It is about loss of lives," he said.

Agreed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Atul Bhatalkar. "Most political parties have always taken note of attacks, be it the terror attacks in 2008 or the 1993 blasts or the Malegaon bomb blasts. What Salman has said is totally out of context," Bhatalkar said.

Abu Azmi, state president of Samajwadi Party, urged Salman to help the victims of terror attacks instead of making irrelevant statements. "The attack first happened at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, where common men and women were killed and injured. What sense does such a statement make?," Questioned Azmi.

Azmi also mentioned that a woman named Sabira was badly in need of funds for herself and her son. Sabira lost both her legs in the attack and was still waiting for some financial aid. "Salman should extend support to her instead of making such statements," Azmi added.

Comment: To keep track

After triggering an uproar with his comments on the 26/11 attacks, Bollywood actor Salman Khan has decided to record all his interviews in future to avoid controversies.

He wrote on microblogging site Twitter: "Every human life has equal value and any act of terror, anywhere in the world is unpardonable. Be it 9/11 or 26/11."

"Next time mein apnne sub interview khud bhi record karoonga, kya bolte ho? Takeh yeh sub controversies nahi ho (from now on I will record all my interviews so that such controversies don't happen)," he added.