Mumbai:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home Affairs portfolio, said what happened was unfortunate but this would not be the case. You are right when you say that Mumbai is unsafe.
I spoke to reporters Thursday afternoon after attending a special screening of the film 'Emergency'starring Kangana Ranaut, Mr. Fadnavis said, “Among all the megacities in the country, Mumbai is the safest. It is true that sometimes incidents happen and they need to be treated with seriousness, but to say based on one incident Mumbai is unsafe would not be correct. This damages Mumbai's image, but the government is working to make Mumbai even safer.'
After the early morning burglary attempt at Saif Ali Khan's house in Bandra, in which the actor was stabbed six times but is out of danger, Shiv Sena leader (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi was among those first to hit out at the government, asking: “If celebrities aren't safe, who is in Mumbai?”
“What a shame that Mumbai is seeing yet another high-profile attempt on life, the attack on Saif Ali Khan once again raising questions for the Mumbai Police and the Home Minister. This is after a series of incidents that show there is a deliberate attempt to undermine Mumbai by targeting big names,” she wrote on X.
The MP also raised the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique in October last year and the gunfight outside actor Salman Khan's house in April. Both incidents had also taken place in Bandra, one of Mumbai's poshest neighborhoods and home to many of the city's rich and famous.
'In a mess'
Aaditya Thackeray, who is also a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and son of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, expressed relief that Mr Khan is stable and said the incident highlighted the poor law and order situation under the BJP led government in the state emphasized.
The burglary and knife attack on Saif Ali Khan are shocking.
We are relieved to hear that he is stable and recovering, and we pray that the hard times are over and he returns to normal at the earliest.However, the fact that it happened only emphasizes the absolute…
— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) January 16, 2025
Referring to the killing of a sarpanch in Beed – allegedly involving the close aide of a leader of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP – and a death by custodial death in Parbhani, Mr Thackeray wrote about attack on Saif Ali Khan) has happened, but only highlights the absolute shambles that the law and order situation has been in Maharashtra in the last three years, with hit-and-run businesses, actors and politicians being threatened and the like Beed and Parbhani only show that the government has been an absolute failure in reducing crime and maintaining law and order. Do we even have anyone in government who cares about the safety of the citizens?'
Similar statements were made by NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Clyde Castro, Congress's Varsha Gaikwad and Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Attacking the BJP over the issue, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said: “This morning we got the shocking news that Saif Ali Khan has been stabbed…I pray he gets well soon but it is worrying that such a big actor who lives in such a safe place, is attacked in his house in this way. This raises questions for the state and central government.”
“What about the order?”
Several actors and others from the film fraternity have also spoken out after the attack. Actor and filmmaker Pooja Bhatt said she had “never felt so unsafe”.
In posts on
“Can this lawlessness please be curbed @MumbaiPolice @CPMumbaiPolice. We need more police presence in Bandra. The city and especially the queen of the suburbs have never felt so unsafe (sic),” Ms Bhatt said.
In another post, she wrote: “Law & Order. We have laws… what about order?”