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Casteist comment row: Shilpa Shetty apologizes; Salman Khan still mum

27 Dec 2017

As public figures, the celebrities have to be very careful while uttering each and every word. After all, it has happened many times that a harmless statement made by an actor gets misunderstood and is blown out of proportion. And this can happen even for a comment made a few months ago. On Friday, it came to light that an organization called Valmiki Samaj Action Committee has filed a complaint against Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty for allegedly talking in a derogatory manner about scheduled castes in TV shows. Shilpa Shetty on the show Breakfast To Dinner was describing how she looks at home and while doing so, she said, I look like a Bhangi. The said episode was aired in the beginning of the year. After the complaint was registered against her, she took to Twitter to apologize for her comments. Some of my words from an interview in the past have been misinterpreted. It was never said with the intent of hurting anyones feelings. I apologize if they have. Im proud to belong to a country that boasts of diverse castes and creeds and I respect each one of them, is what she wrote in two back-to-back tweets. Some of my words from an interview in the past have been misinterpreted.It was never said with the intent of hurting anyones feelings SHILPA SHETTY KUNDRA (@TheShilpaShetty) https://twitter.com/TheShilpaShetty/status/944562275599470592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw December 23, 2017 I apologize if they have. Im proud to belong to a country that boasts of diverse castes and creeds and I respect each one of them.???????? SHILPA SHETTY KUNDRA (@TheShilpaShetty) https://twitter.com/TheShilpaShetty/status/944562682530816000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw December 23, 2017 Salman Khan on the other hand faced flak when, while promoting his latest release Tiger Zinda Hai , he said I look like a Bhangi doing this step. Once this video became viral, irked people from the Valmiki community vandalized theatres in Jaipur, Bikaner, Kota and Baroda. A few shows were cancelled but timely action by the police helped in ensuring that the matter didnt go out of hand. Despite this shocking incident, Salman Khan hasnt spoken about the incident and has not even given any apology or clarification. The term Bhangi was at one point used to describe a community that was restricted to the so-called menial tasks of cleaning toilets, sweeping and scavenging. The community now prefers to use the term Balmiki or Valmiki as its name. The vandalism at present is in control and it remains to be seen if protests re-intensify if Salman Khan doesnt address it on time.