Sharad Pawar criticises Maharashtra government following knife attack on Saif Ali Khan

PUNE: Reacting to the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan in Mumbai, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar criticised the state govt and said the incident shows that the law and order situation in Mumbai is deteriorating.
He also said that the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis should take serious cognisance of such incidents taking place in the financial capital of the country.
Responding to questions from the media in his hometown Baramati on Thursday, Pawar said, "I have not much association with movie personalities, but I feel bad that Mumbai's law and order situation is dilapidating, and this incident is the latest example of it.Recently, there was a murder (of Baba Siddique) in the same area of the city. Such incidents are extremely concerning."
"The state govt, particularly the chief minister who holds the portfolio of home, needs to address these issues more seriously," Pawar added.
Pawar's daughter and Baramati MP Supriya was also present in Baramati, where she contacted the family members of the Bollywood actor after coming to know of the incident in the morning.
Reacting to the incident, Supriya said, "I have spoken to the family members and the police commissioner of Mumbai about the incident. The family is in stress as the person carrying a knife entered a room where a small child was present, which is a serious thing. I have demanded that the family should get police protection immediately."
"I have been roaming around Mumbai and entire Maharashtra at odd hours and never felt unsafe. However, the recent incidents, including firing outside Salman Khan's residence, murder in Bandra, and now the attack on Saif Ali Khan, are really concerning," she added.
The Baramati MP also said that crime in Maharashtra is rising and it indicates financial distress in society. "The incidents in Beed, Parbhani, the crime in Mumbai, and Pune's Koyta gang show that crime is rising in the state, and the police department as well as the state govt needs to take serious steps to control it. We are not bringing any politics into these incidents, but we demand improvement in the law and order situation in the state," Supriya said.