Lawrence Bishnoi's cousin Ramesh Bishnoi said that every member of the Bishnoi community is angry with the black goat hunting incident and is ready to make sacrifices to save the animals. Ramesh Bishnoi claimed that the entire Bishnoi community stands with imprisoned gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. He appealed to actor Salman Khan to apologize to the community over the black goat hunting case, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison.

This development comes at a time when the controversy is escalating and the actor is receiving fresh threats. The situation became more serious when former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui was shot dead in Mumbai on the night of October 12, for which the Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility.

Ramesh told NDTV, "Salman Khan should apologize. His family is playing with our religious sentiments. If Salman Khan does not apologize, the law will do its job."

The incident dates back to 1998 when Salman Khan was accused of hunting a black goat during the shooting of 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'. The black goat is considered sacred by the Bishnoi community. In 2018, he was convicted by the Rajasthan High Court and sentenced to five years in prison. He later challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court and was released on bail.

Lawrence Bishnoi, who has been in prison since 2015 and is facing several criminal cases, had told the court in 2018 that he wanted to kill Salman Khan for hurting the sentiments of his Bishnoi community. In the past few weeks, the actor has received several threats, allegedly from members of the Bishnoi gang. Following this, security at his apartment and farmhouse was beefed up.

Ramesh said that every member of the Bishnoi community was angry over the incident of hunting the black goat. He said that the community is also ready to make sacrifices to save the animals.

He said, "Our society loves wildlife and trees. Our 363 ancestors sacrificed their lives to save trees. When Salman Khan killed the black goat, every Bishnoi's blood started boiling. We decided to rely on the court. But if the community was mocked, the society's anger is natural. Today the entire Bishnoi community stands with Lawrence in this matter."

He also pointed out that Salman Khan was convicted by the court in the Black Goat case, while the charges against Lawrence have not been proven.

"Salman Khan is guilty. He has been sentenced to 5 years. He has appealed against the order in the Supreme Court. Has any crime been proven against Lawrence in any court? He will be treated as a criminal until the court convicts him," Ramesh said.

Lawrence Bishnoi's family claimed that Salman Khan had offered them money but they did not accept it.

"His father Salim Khan has said that the Lawrence gang is doing all this for money. I want to remind him that his son had brought a checkbook in front of the community and said to fill in the figures and take it. If we were hungry for money, we would have taken the money at that time," he said.

When Ramesh was asked if Bishnoi was involved in the murder of Baba Siddiqui, he said that it would be clear only after investigation and denied the involvement of the gangster in extortion cases. He said that Lawrence Bishnoi is from a well-off family and there is no need to demand ransom in his name.

"Nothing has been proved so far. Lawrence has 110 acres of land. His two brothers are landowners. If it was for money, would a person with 110 acres of land do this? Other people are demanding ransom in his name. He is not doing it," Ramesh told NDTV.

Ramesh also recalled that Lawrence Bishnoi was good at studies and had even received a scholarship for his academic performance, and the family was shocked that he became a big gangster. He also claimed that Bishnoi had told him that he had fallen into a trap and no one was listening to him.

"I last met him in Abohar court. I met him for only 5 minutes. I told him to leave this path, he said he is trapped and no one is listening to him," he said.

PC - HINDUSTAN TIMES