Salman Khan punished as he belongs to minority community: SP leader

New Delhi, May 8: In a statement which will definitely snowball into a major controversy, a Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal has given communal colour to court verdict in 2002 hit and run case.

The reaction came a day after the Court's verdict, which found actor Salman Khan guilty in all charges and sentenced him for 5 years. At present the bail proceedings are on in the Mumbai High Court.

Various reports quoted Agarwal as saying, " We are very sad. He (Salman) is a very big star. He has crores of fans across the country. But if the Maharashtra government has convicted him just because he belongs to the minority community, then it is an unfair decision."

However, later the SP leader clarified that his statement was taken in wrong way and he did't mean it.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mumbai Sessions court had sentenced the Bollywood superstar Salman to five years' rigorous imprisonment holding him guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder section (304 IPC) and other penal laws.

What happened on September 28, 2002?

One person was killed and four others were injured on the night of September 28, 2002 in suburban Bandra when Salman's Toyota Land Cruiser rammed into a Bakery.

The victims were sleeping on the pavement when the SUV ran over them. Nurullah Mehboob Sharif was killed in the accident in which Kalim Mohammed Pathan, Munna Malai Khan, Abdullah Rauf Shaikh and Muslim Shaikh had been injured.