Cops shielding Salman Khan, says activist

Mumbai: Former cop-turned-lawyer and activist Y.P. Singh Friday lashed out at Mumbai Police for allegedly "helping" actor Salman Khan in the 2002 hit and run case.

Khan had rammed into a bakery in suburban Bandra, killing one and injuring four others sleeping on a pavement, September 28, 2002. Singh pointed out that the trial in the case has been going on for over 10 years; there is little progress. He added it is evident that the police department was responsible for delaying things. "In the beginning, the trial court had ordered summons to 34 witnesses, but the police did not serve summons to 24 people. Police had informed the court that some could not be traced while others did not accept the summons. Only one witness appeared before the court. Police had deliberately not taken the job of issuing summons seriously," Singh told reporters here. Singh said that it took two years for the police to present the doctor who treated the injured in that incident before the court. "Also, Salman was absent 82 times when summoned by the court," he said. "Later, even the public prosecutor started ignoring the case," the activist said. Singh said that he would demand that a high level inquiry into the matter. "The commissioner of police needs to set up a high level inquiry into the matter, to show how simple summons were not be served from time to time for years together and witnesses not produced in court," he said. IANS