Saif Ali Khan attack: Fadnavis says ‘Mumbai is safe’, Opposition calls it failure of law and order

Devendra Fadnavis appealed to not tag the city as “unsafe” based on a few incidents that can happen in any city. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

The attack on Hindi cinema actor, Saif Ali Khan at his home by an intruder has shocked the entire country and raised questions on safety concerns of public personalities and common people. As the day progressed, the incident took a political turn as the film industry as well as the Opposition questioned the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra over the law and order situation.

Responding to all the allegations that claimed Mumbai is no longer safe for anybody, Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis appealed to not tag the city as “unsafe” based on a few incidents that can happen in any city. “Mumbai is the safest among all the other mega cities in the country and there is no doubt about it. What happened with Saif Ali Khan is a serious matter of concern but it won’t be right to call Mumbai unsafe. Such statements malign the image of the city. If any such incident happens in the city, we must take them seriously and act accordingly to ensure the safety of Mumbai. The government will take all steps to make Mumbai safer for all,” he said. 

Criticising the law and order situation, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole called Mr. Fadnavis an “ineffective” and “weak” CM and demanded his resignation from the post of Home Minister. “If such incidents occur in the bustling area of Mumbai’s Bandra, then who is safe in the city? Looking at the increasing crime rates in Mumbai, Pune, Beed, and Nagpur, one wonders if there is a Home Minister in the State at all. The CM must have the courage to take concrete action to curb crime incidents instead of making hollow statements. This is a complete breakdown of law and order situation in Maharashtra.”  

Coming in support of Mr. Fadnavis, Minister of State for Home, Yogesh Kadam said that Mumbai is a safe city, and the Opposition is only politicising the matter to give a wrong angle to the case because of the actor’s surname. 

Speaking to journalists in Mumbai, Sena (UBT) leader, Sanjay Raut claimed that not a single individual in the State is safe under the current government’s regime. “Saif Ali Khan is a Padma Shri recipient and recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi along with his entire family. But what is this situation of law and order in this State? Where is our Home Minister? When a celebrity who can afford heavy security is not safe, let alone be the common people in the State who live in hutments and slums. We are talking about this case because it is a celebrity, but if it was a common man, nobody would even know.”  

Law and order is deteriorating in Maharashtra, said the Nationalist Congress Party(SP) chief Sharad Pawar while speaking to journalists in Baramati. “The attack on Saif Ali Khan shows that law and order is deteriorating in the State. The CM who is also in charge of the Home Department, must take the rising crime incidents in Maharashtra seriously.”  

Shiv Sena(UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray took to social media platform X and wrote, “The intrusion and knife attack on Saif Ali Khan is shocking. We are relieved to hear that he is stable and recovering, and we pray that tough times are over, and he bounces back to normalcy at the earliest. The fact that it happened, however, only highlights the absolute shambles of law and order is in Maharashtra. Over the past 3 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. Do we have anyone in the government that cares about citizen safety at all?” 

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale visited Saif Ali Khan at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital and informed journalists that Mr. Khan’s health is good. “I also spoke to him, and he told me that he is fine. Whatever happened was not good. Saif Ali Khan is a famous actor. There was only one attacker, and he had come with an intension of theft. Saif Ali Khan tried to catch hold of him during which he was attacked. Saif is out of danger.” 

Shiv Sena(UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi lashed out at the Fadnavis government and said, “What a shame that Mumbai sees another high-profile attempt on life. The attack on Saif Ali Khan yet again raises questions on Mumbai Police and the Home Minister.”

She also said that this incident is happening after a series of incidents that show there is a deliberate attempt to undermine Mumbai by targeting big names such as Baba Siddique, whose family is still awaiting justice after his shocking murder; Salman Khan who is forced to live in a bulletproof house and now comes Saif Ali Khan, she said. “All these incidents happened in Bandra, an area which has the highest concentration of celebrities, which is supposed to have adequate security. If celebrities are not safe, then who in Mumbai is?”  

Clyde Crasto, national spokesperson of NCP(SP) said the attack on Mr. Khan is a cause for concern. “If high-profile people with high levels of security can be attacked in their homes, then what could happen to common citizens? Fear of law seems to be at a low in Maharashtra due to lenience in the past couple of years.” 

The Indian Film and Television Directors Association (IFTDA) president Ashoke Pandit called the incident a matter of major concern. “IFTDA condemns this attack. The concern is about the security of the building, the security agencies of the building, as to how an intruder reaches the 12th floor and enters the house. This is a matter of investigation, which the Mumbai Police are very competent and capable of looking into.” 

Actor Raza Murad also expressed his shock over the security concern of the apartment and said, “The surprising thing is that the security in the building where he lives is very efficient. There are three to four layers of security where you have to sign on the register, you have to write your mobile number, you have to sign, and CCTV cameras are also installed. And since it is a celebrity’s house, he too must have his own security. Despite all these security measures, how did the attacker reach inside the flat? What was his intention in going there? Did he just want to steal, or did he intend to attack and that too a lethal attack?”