Huge Bollywood Star Guilty of Drunkenly Running Over Five Homeless Men
Salman Khan, one of the biggest movie stars in India, was convicted this week of killing one homeless man and injuring four others when he drunkenly ran over them in his car.
The case apparently dates back to September, 2002 when Khan drove over the men, who had reportedly been sleeping on a footpath near a road in Mumbai.
Khan—who said he was sober that night—tried to blame the accident on his driver, who he claimed was driving the car. This explanation was soundly rejected by the court, which today sentenced him to five years in prison.
Even so, some high-profile fans place the blame squarely on the homeless men, who were apparently lying on the ground beside the roadway. Via the New York Times:
Abhijeet Bhattacharya, who sings for lip-syncing actors in Bollywood films, defended Mr. Khan and wrote on Twitter that “if a dog sleeps on the road, he will die a dog’s death.”
“Roads are meant for cars and dogs not for people sleeping on them. @BeingSalmanKhan is not at fault at all...” he wrote.
It's like penalising a train driver because someone decided to cross the tracks and got killed in the bargain. #salmankhancase
May 6, 2015
Nor is the 13-year case yet over. According to CNN, Khan—who is out on bail—plans to appeal the verdict.
[image via AP]
