Khan unwilling to offer apology.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
Dissatisfied with the reply given by Salman Khan, the National Commission for Women (NCW) issued a fresh notice to the actor asking him to summon before the panel on July8 in connection with his “raped woman” remark.
“Salman’s letter is not at all conciliatory, there’s not even a hint of an apology. In fact, he [Salman] tried to find fault with NCW for taking up this issue,” NCW Chairperson L Kumaramangalam told ANI.
The commission had sent Salman Khan a notice asking for an explanation on his raped woman comment that stoked a controversy last week. On June 20 Khan said that he “felt like a raped woman,” after a grueling shooting for his upcoming movie Sultan.
The comment attracted criticism from various corners with activists and politicians coming down hard on the actor for his derogatory remarks against rape victims. He was slapped with a show cause notice by the National Commission for women.
The commission asked him to apologize publicly in its letter. But the actor sent a reply through his advocate on Tuesday, but the commission is dissatisfied with his response.
“We now need to decide what we are going to do next. We have to look at both what comes under our mandate and what are the legalities involved,” Kumaramangalam said.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) has asked the actor to appear before its panel on July 7 in connection with the same controversy. But the actor has informed the state commission that the case is already being heard by the national commission.
“The commission and its members today went through the letter given by the actor and we found it unsatisfactory. The letter says that case is already being heard by NCW and hence it would amount to a case of double jeopardy.
“But we are of the view that our state commission has been conferred with concurrent powers and the case can be heard at both the places simultaneously,” MSCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.