Bollywood actor Aamir Khan claims he's ‘alarmed’ over India's apparent ‘climate of intolerance’
The actor said his wife has even suggested leaving the country
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A leading Bollywood actor has voiced concern over the apparent ‘climate of intolerance’ emerging in India.
According to The Hindu, Aamir Khan said he was “alarmed” at the amount of violent occurrences which have reportedly happened under the premiership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“As an individual, as part of this country as a citizen, we read in the papers what is happening, we see it on the news and certainly, I have been alarmed. I can’t deny. I have been alarmed by a number of incidents.”
One incident includes the lynching of a 50-year-old Muslim man in a village close to New Delhi after he killed a cow for the beef. Cows are traditionally sacred in Hinduism.
Khan, 50, said his wife, Kiran Rao, who is a film producer, screenwriter and director is considering moving out of the country.
“When I chat with Kiran at home, she says ‘Should we move out of India?’ That’s a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day.”
Last month, 41 Indian writers returned the country’s highest literary prize in a protest against ‘the climate of intolerance’ which has reportedly involved a significant number of violent attacks.
Many writers are concerned about curbs to free speech and one writer, Malleshappa Kalburgi is believed to have been murdered after writing about superstition.
Khan supports the right of the writers to reject the prize on these grounds, and said: “For creative people, one of the ways of expressing their dissatisfaction or their disappointment is to return their awards. I think that’s one way of getting your point across.
“All individuals have a right to protest and they can protest in any manner that they feel is right as long as they are not taking the law into their own hands.”
According to The Indian Express, a BJP party spokesperson responded to Khan's claims, saying: "India was, is and always will be a tolerant society."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments