Hi Salman Khan, My Dogs Want a Memorial on Public Property Too

A personal memorial to Khan’s dogs has been erected in a public garden. The twist? No one knows who allowed it.

As my auto driver said, referring to Khan, “What can’t money buy, madam?” (Photo: Hardeep Singh/The Quint)

It seems like there is nothing that Salman Khan can’t do. He allegedly kills two black bucks, he gets acquitted. He allegedly runs over pavement dwellers in Mumbai while driving drunk, he gets acquitted. He makes a thoughtless comment about rape, and then stubbornly refuses to apologise.

Also read: Sultan is Sexist (& Having Salman Khan Does NOT Make it Okay)

Then, a private memorial plaque of his dogs Myson and Myjaan appeared in the public garden at the Mehboob Studio roundabout in Bandra approximately two weeks ago, violating the Supreme Court’s orders of 2013.

Henceforth, states shall not grant permission to install any statue or erect any structure on public roads, pavements and sideways and other public utility places. 

A plaque erected on a marble structure with a picture of Myson and Myjaan, Salman Khan’s dogs who passed away in 2009. (Photo: Pallavi Prasad/The Quint)

The decision was made while ruling against the installation of a statue of late Sundaran Nadar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and a public servant in politics for over five decades on a road in Kerala. It is unlikely that the Supreme Court agreed to make an exception to the rule for Salman Khan’s dogs, if the matter reached them at all.

And if the matter didn’t reach the court, how did the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) give permission to a private citizen to monopolise public property maintained by taxpayers’ money without following the due course, which includes obtaining several permissions from the various departments of the BMC and the state government?

A Sick Joke, Even By Your Standards, Bhai

(Screenshot of Google Maps)

In what can only be described as a sick joke, the private memorial of the actor’s dogs at Hill road garden is less than a kilometre away from American Hill Bakery, the place where Salman Khan allegedly drove over a sleeping pavement dweller in 2002 under the influence of alcohol.

It’s more than just the extent of what money can buy in this country; it’s smugness of the most dismissive kind enabled by the industry, the fans, the judiciary and the government – right down to the BMC.

Whodunnit: The Implicit Involvement of the BMC

The Maharashtra government announced ‘Vanmahostav’ for the year 2016-17 under which the state intends to plant two crore trees across the state. The actor being the environment-friendly person that he is, ‘promoted’ the BMC’s tree plantation drive in Mumbai by planting saplings at the Mehboob Studio roundabout in Bandra on Sunday, 10 July, among other places.

Shopkeepers around the area confirm the plaque being erected on 10 July by two people after the heavily crowded event, complete with media, fans and BMC officials. It follows then that the BMC must be in the know of this plaque being erected during a substantial event in a public park under their maintenance 24x7.

An NGO called ‘I love Mumbai’ had donated this mural to the BMC as they wanted to showcase the bond a human shares with a pet animal. It was the BMC’s decision to place it at the Mehboob Studio garden. Salman is not involved with this.

Salman Khan’s spokesperson speaking to <i><a href="http://www.asianage.com/mumbai/remove-salman-khan-dogs-plaque-corporator-580">Asian Age</a></i>

Of course, bhai does not know how or when a marble plaque of his dogs ended up in a park close to his house after an event he attended; expecting him to take responsibility for his actions is asking too much. However, the NGO denied all such theories and maintained they strictly dealt with planting saplings across the city, when questioned by The Quint.

So between Salman Khan, the rich man who donated a photograph of himself with his dogs to the Bandra Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals (BSPCA) in an effort to ‘spread awareness’ – how that helps remains a mystery – and the BMC, where did the plaque come from, who put it there, and why did bhai’s office lie?

When a Bandra resident (who does not wish to be named) approached Assistant Municipal Commissioner for the concerned ward (H West), Mr Sharad Ugde to enquire about the legality of the plaque, he received no answers and was forwarded to Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Gardens), Mr S S Shinde, who had no information of it either and requested some time to revert.

When The Quint contacted the BMC to further investigate, the gardens and maintenance divisions of H West Ward insisted that the issue was under the other division’s jurisdiction and that they knew nothing about it. Executive Engineer (Maintenance), Rajesh Yadav refused to answer any questions and forwarded us to Ugde, whose phone was switched off. It may be significant to note that Ugde was present with Salman Khan at the tree plantation, seen helping and posing with the star for the press.

And if there’s the slightest chance that BMC was actually unaware of this development, then, two weeks hence, why has the memorial not been removed and Khan fined? 

It’s perhaps insignificant to bicker over something so trivial compared to illegal poaching and involuntary manslaughter, both charges for which the star has been acquitted despite damning evidence. The other option, though, is giving up and letting Khan use stardom, money and political reach to continue doing whatever he fancies –while we pay for it.

Also read: Be Like Salman Khan. Don’t!