Naseeruddin Shah: Spoke as a worried Indian, why am I called a traitor?

Actor Naseeruddin Shah on Friday said that his statements on the spate of mob lynchings in the country were being misconstrued, and that he had spoken as a "worried Indian".

The veteran actor found himself at the centre of a major controversy after he said that the death of a cow was being given importance over the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month.

Wondering why his comments on mob violence were being misconstrued with some people calling him a "traitor", the veteran actor said, "What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange," Shah told reporters at his alma mater, St Anselm's Senior Secondary School, in Ajmer.

"I have to bear criticism. If they have the right to criticise, then I also have the same right. I am expressing concerns about the country I love, the country that is my home. How is that a crime?" he asked. Shah was responding to a question about the backlash he is receiving on social media following his remarks.

Shah arrived in Ajmer with his wife Ratna Pathak Shah on Friday morning. He was to be a part an event at the Ajmer Literature Festival in the evening. However, the event was cancelled by the organisers after the BJP Yuva Morcha protested at the venue.

The Head of Yuva Morcha, Ajmer, Vineet Pareek, had said that if Shah took part in the event, the protest could be taken to any level. Worried organisers eventually called off the event and the protestors left the venue once it was confirmed that Shah won't be attending.

The 68-year-old actor had expressed anxiety over the growing mob violence in a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, which the organisation shared on its YouTube channel on Monday.

—With inputs from PTI

What He Had Said

Naseeruddin Shah had expressed anxiety over the growing mob violence in a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, which the organisation shared on its YouTube channel on Monday. He expressed concern over the well-being of his children, who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion