Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra on Friday, 2 September, called actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, and lyricist Javed Akhtar agents of ‘tukde-tukde’ gang at a press conference.
“People like Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah are the sleeper cells of ‘tukde-tukde’ gang who create ruckus only on incidents that happened in BJP-ruled states, while keeping silent on what is happening in Congress-ruled states like Rajasthan and Jharkhand. Now these people have been exposed,” he said during a press conference.
‘Naseeruddin Shah Will Say He Is Scared of Living in the Country'
Shabana Azmi who has been outspoken about the Bilkis Bano case, recently broke down during a television interview while talking about the early release granted to the 11 convicts.
Mishra questioned why she did not say anything about Kanhaiya Lal's murder in Rajasthan or the woman who was burnt alive in Jharkhand in the Dumka murder case.
He accused the film personalities of being biased and highlighting issues only in BJP-ruled states.
"Now, if something happens in a BJP-ruled state, Naseeruddin Shah will say he is scared of living in the country, and the award-wapasi gang will raise a hue and cry," he said.
Eleven men had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Mumbai court in 2008 for gang raping Bano and killing seven members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
After serving 15 years of his sentence, convict Radheshyam Shah approached the Supreme Court seeking remission of the sentence and his premature release. The court then passed on the matter to the Gujarat government, which decided to release them under an outdated remission policy.
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