Thane (Maharashtra) [India], January 19 : Reacting to the recent attack on actor Saif Ali Khan, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske raised concerns about the growing security threats posed by migrant labourers.
Speaking on the incident, Mhaske said, "The nationality of the labourers coming here should be checked. They enter India to work, but some end up committing crimes and engaging in terrorism."
He added that he would meet with the Police Commissioner the following day to discuss measures for improving security and addressing this issue.
A Mumbai court on Sunday granted the police five-day custody of Shariful Islam Shehzad, the accused arrested in connection with the stabbing attack on actor Saif Ali Khan during a burglary attempt at the actor's residence late on January 15.
The lawyer of the accused, Sandeep Shekhane, spoke to mediapersons here today and said, "A police custody for five days has been granted. The court has asked the police to submit a report within five days. The police have no proof that he is a Bangladeshi. They said that he came here six months ago, it is a wrong statement. He has been living here for more than seven years. His family is in Mumbai. This is a clear-cut violation of 43A. No proper investigation has been done."
The accused Shehzad was sent to five-day police custody by Bandra Holiday Court on Sunday.
The lawyer earlier in the day also denied claims made by police regarding the accused being a Bangladeshi national and claimed that he has been staying in Mumbai for the last seven years.
"First of all, Saif Ali Khan has never made any statement or does not have any grievance with anyone that would create a threat for him from any state, Bangladesh or any other country. He does not have any international cases. They changed the angle of the case just because he (the accused) is Bangladeshi. Earlier, he was in Bangladesh but he has been living here for many years now. Police said he has been living here for 6 months, but that is not true. The family is in Mumbai," said the advocate.
Another advocate Dinesh Prajapati, representing the accused, said the grounds given by the police for seeking his police custody are "not sufficient".
"The police demanded police custody and the grounds given by the police for the police custody are not sufficient. We have given in his (accused) defence that nothing has been recovered from him. They (Police) have not produced any document proving that he is a Bangladeshi national. The court has granted his five-day police custody," Prajapati told ANI.
The reaction comes after Mumbai Deputy of Commissioner Police Zone 9 Dixit Gedam said that the accused is a Bangladeshi and had come to Mumbai five to six months ago."Prima facie the accused is a Bangladeshi and after entering India illegally he changed his name. He was using Vijay Das as his current name. He came to Mumbai 5-6 months ago. He stayed in Mumbai for a few days and then in the vicinity of Mumbai. The accused used to work in a housekeeping agency," said the official on Sunday.
The accused allegedly entered the Bandra residence of actor Saif Ali Khan with the intent to commit theft.
As per the police statement, various investigation teams were formed to investigate the crime, and a case has been registered under sections 311, 312, 331(4), 331(6), and 331(7) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
The accused was about to flee to his native village when he was detained at Hiranandani Estate in Thane. It was revealed that the accused is a native of the Jhalokati district in Bangladesh, according to the police.
The case was reported by Aleyamma Philip, a 56-year-old staff nurse. The incident occurred around 2:00 AM on January 16, during which Saif Ali Khan was attacked and sustained serious injuries, including stab wounds to his thoracic spine.
Meanwhile, as per the hospital administration, Saif Ali Khan is recovering well and has been moved from the ICU to a normal room. The surgery, which involved removing a 2.5-inch-long blade, was successful.
While the actor is now "out of danger," medical staff are closely monitoring his condition.