Mumbai: The controversy surrounding the reported knife attack on actor Saif Ali Khan allegedly by an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh on January 16 took a new turn on Saturday. Prof Dinesh Rao, a forensic expert, told a news channel that the injuries mentioned in the medico-legal report submitted by Lilavati Hospital to the Bandra police are not of the nature which can be caused by a knife.
He said the “lacerations” mentioned in the report signed by Dr Bhargavi Patil can be caused only by a blunt weapon. Incidentally, the staff nurse at Saif’s penthouse, who was the first to respond to the presence of Shariful Islam, the alleged attacker, had told the police that the latter had carried a stick-like object and a hacksaw blade.
However, Lilavati Hospital doctors claimed to have removed a 2.5″ piece of the knife used in the attack from near Saif’s spinal column. They even displayed pictures of this piece of knife. The police, on their part, claimed that they recovered a second piece of the knife in the actor’s apartment and the last piece from near Bandra talao where it was thrown by Islam while fleeing.
Hospital authorities did not respond to the sensational observation made by Prof Rao which takes the bottom out of the entire episode.
The hospital is already at the centre of a huge controversy regarding several other aspects of the case. Its report to the police said the attack took place at 2.30 a.m. while the time of admission is mentioned as 4.11 a.m. The question naturally arises as to what the actor and his family were doing for almost two hours in the house after the dastardly attack.
The hospital had earlier stated that Saif was brought to the hospital in autorickshaw by an adult and a child. The man was identified as Afsar Zaidi, a friend of the actor. It is most surprising that a friend was called by the Khans to take Saif to the hospital while Kareena stayed put at home.
Also the decision to let the child, Taimur, accompany his bleeding father to the hospital is another shocking aspect. Apparently, Kareena, who was partying earlier, was not in a condition to accompany her husband to the hospital.
The police, the Khans and the hospital are also maintaining a studied silence as more and more questions emerge.
