Everyone has right to share thoughts: Ashutosh Rana on Naseeruddin comment
New Delhi, Dec 24 (IBNS): Actor Ashutosh Rana has come out in support of colleague Naseeruddin Shah, who is facing a backlash over his comments on cow slaughter being more important than a policeman's life and how he fears for his children in today's India.
"Everyone should have a right to share their thoughts with their friends or other people without any fear. If our brothers or friends say something, we should not just listen to them but also think about it," NDTV quoted Rana as saying.
"If someone is speaking his mind and there is a debate, will it improve the country's economic situation," he said.
On December 21, organisers of a literature festival in Rajasthan's Ajmer cancelled an event where Naseeruddin Shah was supposed to deliver a keynote address following protests by right-wing groups.
According to The Indian Express, Raas Bihari Gaur, co-ordinator of the festival, said, “Shah was scheduled to inaugurate the festival but he did not come because of the protest by some locals over his comments.”
This comes on the same day as an outfit in Uttar Pradesh buying plane tickets to Pakistan for the veteran actor.
Last Monday, in an interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat, Shah said: "There is complete impunity for those who take law into their own hands. In many areas we are witnessing that the death of a cow is more significance than that of a police officer."
On December 3, police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a student, Sumit Kumar, were killed in mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district after cow carcasses were found. Local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj is the main accused in the case.
“I feel anxious for my children because tomorrow if a mob surrounds them and asks, ‘Are you a Hindu or a Muslim,’ they will have no answer. It worries me that I don’t see the situation improving anytime soon,” he said.
BJP chief in Uttar Pradesh Mahendranath Pandey has also attacked the actor.
"Naseeruddin Shah is a good artist," he said. "In one of his movies, he played the role of a Pakistani agent. I think he is growing into that character now."
Shah played a Pakistani spy in the 1999 film Sarfarosh in which his performance was widely praised.
Defending his statement, Shah on Friday said: “What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange.”
Image: Ashutosh Rana Facebook page
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