An Indian court has sentenced Bollywood star Salman Khan to five years in jail for killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run driving incident in Mumbai. The actor is one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, appearing in more than 80 Hindi-language films. Several of his films, including Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun, have been huge commercial hits. That’s short of his bio to make one grasp the magnanimity of a hit-and-run case which took life of one poor homeless and injured the others who were sleeping on pavements.

The case could have got over in few months or a year had it been the poor responsible for killing of the elite but because it is the other way around it took 13 years to call it an end!

But that’s not all — the elite are now in open revealing their dark inside, the shameless callousness of shaming the victim and playing innocent of a criminal.

You know what is shamelessness? We understand when family defends their relatives but what we fail to understand is this so called family fails to understand the crime he committed. And that’s not enough; they start to held victim responsible for the crime. You commit almost every crime which is there to be committed and then cry over how good a human being and philanthropist you are, like seriously, nobody’s going to buy your story. Sample this — driving without owning a driving license — checked, driving under the influence of alcohol — checked, driving on to pavements which are meant for pedestrians to walk — checked, fleeing from the scene — checked. Many of the people who are close to him or fans or just random guys who wish to be in news to revive their already sunk career are blaming the victims, poor people who don’t own any roof over their heads, sleeping on the pavements.

They say, pavements are not for sleeping — valid. But the same pavements are not for driving too!

Who gave you the right to drive and kill the homeless who were sleeping on pavements? Okay, pavements are not for people to sleep on but then law keepers will take cognizance of it and not you. Stay clear of this — now and forever.

Then there are these callous ‘Being Human’ admirers who argue that Salman is a good human being, he shouldn’t be punished for a crime which is mere an accident. Okay, point taken. But don’t forget the ‘accident’ took one life! Moreover be it Mother Teresa or Taliban, the law is same for all. If it’s the case of hit-and-run then law must treat all the same, they must be punished equally. You are being punished for the crime you have committed and not awarded for deeds throughout your life! You may be a big superstar or poor homeless, the law if it is same for all then must punish and held guilty all equally too. There were those who tweeted ‘beauty of a human being Salman Khan is’ — really? The one who threatened with calls to numerous people, harassed the exes, hunt the endangered Black Bucks? Anyhow, the near and dear ones are meant to defend you but have some dignity, feeling sorry for the guy is okay but disgracing the victim is not. Alia Bhatt was probably right when she tweeted, “It hurts when your own are punished, even if they are in the wrong. We love you and are standing by you.”

Between it’s quite a coincidence that Salman Khan found his ‘Being Human’ foundation which does all this philanthropy work just after this hit-and-run case got registered. Quite interesting, isn’t it?

Justice is certainly delivered today but sad it took 13 years for it to do so when a constable who was key witness in this case has lost his life in the meantime. The aim of criminal law must never be to punish, harass, demean or demoralize the culprit which in its own way is another crime but to reform him or her, to teach him saner and cleaner ways to carry his future life. It is important to hold guilty the criminal; cry or feel sorry for the individual but please don’t be shameless to demean the victims and mock their condition.

Its irony of our times that after more than six decades of gaining independence we still are not nearer to provide home to homeless, food to the hungry and cloth to the naked! Help them if you could and if not, at least refrain from demeaning their lives. That’s the least we could do.

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