Protesters vandalise posters of Tiger Zinda Hai in Jodhpur

JODHPUR: Protesters belonging to Balmiki Samaj on Friday vandalised posters of Bollywood actor Salman Khan's film 'Tiger Zinda Hai' at a cinema hall in Rajasthan's Jodhpur after the actor allegedly used casteist slur in a TV show.

Lalu Balmiki, the president of the group, slammed the actor for using the derogatory word, which has hurt the sentiments of the community. He also criticised actress Shilpa Shetty, who also allegedly used the casteist slur in a separate TV show.

"Salman Khan has uttered a deragatory word against the Balmiki Samaj and it is really condemnable. The Bollywood actor should publically apologise for this otherwise an FIR will be lodged against him," said Lalu Balmiki in Jaipur.

Earlier in the day, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has sought a reply from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the police commissioners of Delhi and Mumbai over complaints made against the 51-year-old actor and the actress in connection with the controversy.

The commission issued the notice after it received a complaint from an ex-chairman of the Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis, Harnam Singh.

Singh, in his complaint, said that the actors used the word 'bhangi' in separate TV shows which clearly insults the entire Valmiki community of the world.

Salman had used the word during the promotion of his film 'Tiger Zinda Hai', while referring to his dancing skills. Shilpa had reportedly used the word to describe how she looks at home.