Following the arrest of Bangladeshi national Mohd Shariful Islam Shehzad in connection with the stabbing of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey criticized the Central Government for failing to curb infiltration along the India-Bangladesh border.
Dubey stated,
“… Apart from West Bengal, five states that share their border with Bangladesh are ruled by BJP along with the Central Government for 11 years. It is their failure that the Bangladeshis are infiltrating… Is it the opposition that is going to stop infiltration or the government? The government does not have the willpower to work… Infiltrators should be marked and sent back to Bangladesh.”
Dubey also reacted to remarks by Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam, who questioned the handling and transparency surrounding the attack on Saif Ali Khan. Dubey said,
“Sanjay Nirupam’s mind needs treatment. Lilavati has good doctors who treated Saif Ali Khan. The actor has been fit since college times, shown fit in movies and seen playing cricket, golf, and horse riding… Sanjay Nirupam should get his mind treated at Lilavati; we will collect the money for it through charity… He is even raising questions on the police that is under his own party’s government.”
Earlier, Sanjay Nirupam had expressed concerns over the severity of the attack, urging Saif’s family to disclose details. He remarked,
“Mumbai citizens and I had some innocent questions that I have raised… Has the medical sector progressed so much that Saif Ali Khan comes to his home jumping and dancing (after the attack)? … It should be revealed how deadly the attack was and how badly he was injured. The family should come forward and disclose this because, after this incident, such an atmosphere was created in Mumbai that the law and order of Mumbai has collapsed, the Home Ministry has failed, the Maharashtra government has been ruined, and every citizen in Mumbai is unsafe. The way Saif came out (of the hospital), it seems as if nothing happened four days ago…”
Saif Ali Khan, who suffered stab wounds to his thoracic spine during the incident, was immediately hospitalized at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital. The intruder reportedly entered Saif’s residence with the intent to steal. The actor was discharged on Tuesday, four days after undergoing treatment.
The accused, Mohammed Shariful Islam Shehzad, a native of the Jhalokati district in Bangladesh, was arrested in Hiranandani Estate, Thane, while attempting to flee to his village. He is currently in police custody following a remand by the Bandra Holiday Court.