Ramesh Bishnoi, the cousin of imprisoned gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has come out in support of the latter, claiming that actor Salman Khan offered a cheque to the Bishnoi community to settle the dispute. The ongoing dispute between the Bollywood superstar and infamous gangster dates back to the 1998 blackbuck hunting case, where the actor had killed the animal, considered sacred by the Bishnoi community.
The tensions escalated further as the shooters of the Lawrence Bishnoi's gang killed the close friend of Salman Khan and NCP-Ajit Pawar leader, Baba Siddique in Nirmal Nagar, Mumbai, earlier this month. Since then, the security around the actor's residence has been ramped up by Mumbai police.
The incident then took a fresh turn as the Mumbai police received death threats, demanding Rs 5 crores from Salman Khan.
In an interview with NDTV, Ramesh Bishnoi publicly expressed his support towards his cousin, Lawrence Bishnoi. He also claimed that Salman Khan had offered financial compensation in an attempt to settle the dispute - which was denied by the Bishnoi community.
"If we were after money, we would have accepted it", Ramesh said. He also refuted the claims made by the actor's father, Salim Khan, that the "gang was driven by financial gains".
Describing the community's reaction to the blackbuck hunting case, Ramesh Bishnoi continued, "Our blood was boiling at that time (Humara khoon khaul raha tha)". He further recalled that the community let the legal system take up the matter, but what enraged it further was the attempt to trivialise the issue.
Salman Khan had landed into legal trouble after the 1998 blackbuck hunting case. However, he was later granted bail.
