Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Thursday said Mumbai was the safest among all mega cities in the country amid Opposition clamour that law and order had broken down, following the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Fadnavis said calling Mumbai unsafe based on stray incidents maligned the city’s image.
The chief minister, who also holds the state home portfolio, however said these scattered incidents needed to be taken seriously. He added, “The state government will take all measures possible to keep the city safe.”
Fadnavis refrained from commenting on the investigation, saying the Mumbai Police had revealed the progress of the probe and the possible motive of the accused. The police have said the intruder entered the actor’s apartment with the intention of committing robbery.
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Saif was attacked by the burglar in his 12th floor Bandra apartment around 2 am Thursday. According to the police, the intruder sneaked into the Satguru Sharan apartment when the actor was sleeping.
The house help chanced upon the intruder and raised an alarm which woke up the actor. Khan rushed in to diffuse the situation but the burglar stabbed him before fleeing the flat.
Khan, who suffered six knife wounds—two deep and one near the spine—underwent surgery in Lilavati Hospital and was declared out of danger later in the day.
Dr Nitin Dange, who operated on Saif, said the actor’s spine injury was severe as the knife was stuck inside.
The incident prompted opposition leaders to question the city’s law and order situation, as well as that of the entire state.
Sharad Pawar, founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), told reporters in Baramati: “This shows to what extent Mumbai’s law and order has deteriorated. Prior to this, there was an assassination in the same neighbourhood. The state government should look into this seriously.”
Pawar was referring to the murder of Baba Siddiqui, a senior leader from the ruling Ajit Pawar-led NCP, outside his office in Bandra last October.
Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole in a statement said the chief minister should have the courage to take concrete action instead of making “hollow statements”.
He said, “The brutal attack on the renowned Padma Shri award-winning actor Saif Ali Khan is a glaring example of the breakdown of law and order in Maharashtra. If such incidents occur in the bustling area of Bandra in Mumbai, who is safe in the city?”
Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and MLA from Worli, said on social media platform X that the incident “highlights the absolute shambles of law and order in Maharashtra”.
“Over the past three years, hit and run cases, actors and politicians being threatened and cases like those in Beed and Parbhani only show that the government has been an absolute failure in curbing crime and maintaining law and order,” Thackeray said.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: Saif Ali Khan was brought to Lilavati with knife lodged in spine. Doctors say he’s now out of danger
