Saira Banu has alleged a Mumbai builder has been harassing her and husband Dilip Kumar to usurp his plots in the plush Pali Hill area.
Mumbai: Yesteryear Bollywood star Saira Banu has tweeted a second request for an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention against a builder allegedly harassing her and her ailing husband, Hindi film legend Dilip Kumar (96), over the latter’s Pali hill property in Mumbai.
An earlier request, made Sunday, reportedly went unanswered, even as the Prime Minister stopped by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) Tuesday to inaugurate several infrastructure projects.
“Request from Saira Banu Khan: To the honourable @PMOIndia Shri @narendramodi. Awaiting for appointment [sic],” Banu (74) tweeted from Dilip Kumar’s handle, which has 565,000 followers, Tuesday night.
Request from Saira Banu Khan: To the Hon’ble @PMOIndia Shri @narendramodi Awaiting for appointment. I am tired of repeated assurances from CM @Dev_Fadnavis “I AM TRYING“ Sir you are the last hope of protecting DILIP SAHAB’s only house from Land Mafia Samir Bhojwani. I beg 🙏🙏🙏
— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) December 18, 2018
“I am tired of repeated assurances from CM @Dev_Fadnavis (Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis) “I AM TRYING,” she added.
“Sir you are the last hope for protecting Dilip Sahab’s only legacy from land mafia Samir Bhojwani. I beg.”
Banu has alleged that builder Samir Bhojwani, accused in another case of alleged land grab as well, is trying to usurp the two plots on which the couple’s Bandra home stands.
The builder, who was booked by the Mumbai police economic offences wing (EoW) on Banu’s complaint last year, had applied and was granted anticipatory bail by a Mumbai court earlier this year. The EoW’s appeal against the decision is due to be taken up by the Bombay High Court on 7 January 2019.
‘Nothing we can do at the time’
Speaking to ThePrint, a senior state government official said the administration or the chief minister could not do anything right now “since the matter is in court”. “We have done our bit by appealing against the anticipatory bail order. The hearing is next month,” the official added.
“Banu met CM Fadnavis about three times on this issue over the last one year. She said her family was being threatened. The CM immediately asked the local police authorities to look into it,” the official said.
Banu’s first appeal to the PM, posted a day before Modi’s MMR visit, read, “Request from Saira Banu Khan: The Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi. Sir, Land Mafia Samir Bhojwani realeased from Jail. No Action Taken despite assurances by CM Devendra Fadnavis. Padma Vibhushit betrayed, Threatened by money n muscle power. Request meeting wth u in Mumbai.”
Request from Saira Banu Khan: The Hon’ble @PMOIndia Shri @narendramodi
Sir, Land Mafia Samir Bhojwani realeased from Jail. No Action Taken despite assurances by CM @Dev_Fadnavis
Padma Vibhushit betrayed, Threatened by money n muscle power. Request meeting wth u in #mumbai
— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) December 16, 2018
Her tweets to the PM came almost exactly a year after she first approached the Mumbai police EoW.
Following Banu’s complaint, the EoW had booked the builder for allegedly trying to grab the actor’s land with the use of forged documents.
When the EoW raided Bhojwani’s residence, they reportedly discovered knives and daggers.
The builder secured anticipatory bail in the case from a lower court in April this year.
“The state government filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court against the… anticipatory bail in June,” an EoW officer said. “Meanwhile, the builder was under arrest for nearly 4.5 months in another case,” the officer added.
Also read: Fadnavis steps in to help after Saira Banu seeks meeting with PM on Dilip Kumar’s bungalow
The second case
The second case against Bhojwani, for which he was arrested by the EoW in April, was based on a complaint by Mumbai resident Divyakant Khatau, who alleged the builder had forged documents to stake claim to a large plot at Aksa beach and other properties belonging to his family.
Bhojwani is out on bail in the case, an EoW officer said.