Salman’s bodyguard hits 3 with pistol butt

Actor Salman Khan’s bodyguard Shera (aka Gurmeet Singh) has been booked by the D.N. Nagar police, Andheri (west) for allegedly assaulting three people with the butt of his pistol late on Tuesday night.

The police has booked Shera and his three friends under IPC sections 326(voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon), 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult). According to the D.N. Nagar police, the incident occurred after a cellphone dealer Akhtar Qureshi (25) known to Shera met him on Link Road, Andheri (w) late on Tuesday night. Qureshi allegedly made Shera speak to a man identified as ‘Ajay bhai’ on the phone.

He allegedly asked Qureshi as to why he made him speak to Ajay on the phone. The arguments led to a scuffle in which Shera allegedly thrashed Qureshi and two of his friends with his pistol’s butt and batten (a long strip of timber or metal). After the altercation Shera fled from the spot.

On Wednesday afternoon, a team of police officers from the DN Nagar police station questioned Shera for several hours at an undisclosed location. He has not been arrested as yet. “The accused are not yet detained. We are still verifying facts,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Deven Bharti. According to the police, the incident occurred at around 2.30 am on Wednesday. The victim Qureshi (25) is a resident of Vile Parle and owns a mobile handset dealership. “The victim and his two friends were travelling on Link Road when they saw Shera. He was in his car which was parked by the roadside,” said DCP Ashok Dudhe, Mumbai police spokesperson. He added that the accused was also accompanied by three of his friends.

Sources from the DN Nagar police station said that the caller ‘Ajay bhai’ allegedly abused Shera on the phone. "Qureshi alleged that Shera had hit him first and when his friends tried to stop, Shera's friends assaulted them,” a police officer said. The victim further alleged that Shera hit him with the butt of his pistol, causing injuries to his collarbone. “He is admitted at CritiCare hospital,” said a police source. The police are examining if the pistol possessed by Shera is licensed.

The police has booked Shera and his three friends under sections 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon), 506 (Criminal intimidation), 323 (causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult). “We are questioning them and verifying the allegations. We will be going through the CCTV cameras in the area to ascertain what exactly happened,” said an investigating officer.

The buzz in Bollywood is that to meet superstar Salman Khan, one has to be in the good books of his bodyguard Shera. It may be mentioned here that Mr Khan had acted in a movie called Bodyguard and even dedicated the entire film to Shera for his loyalty and daredevil spirit. While the rest of the world addresses Salman as “Bhai”, Shera calls him “Maalik” (master).