Veteran cine-actor Shabana Azmi came out in support of actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut on Saturday, in what she said was a reminder to security personnel that they must operate strictly within the law.
Ranaut, in a video statement two days ago, said the woman constable of the CISF punched her in the face and verbally abused her during a routine security check at the Chandigarh airport.
Azmi stated her stand on the X platform, pointing out that while she does not have any special love for Ranaut, she cannot bring herself to become part of the "chorus of celebrating 'the slap'".
"I have no love lost for Kangana Ranaut. But I can't find myself joining this chorus of celebrating 'the slap'. If security personnel start taking law into their hands, none of us can be safe," Azmi wrote.
Azmi's husband, celebrated screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, has sued Ranaut for defamation in connection with her claims that he had threatened to chop her to pieces. The legal proceedings are currently underway.
In her video testimony, Ranaut detailed the incident, alleging physical assault and verbal harassment by a CISF constable who, purportedly incensed by the actor's stance on the farmer protests, confronted her during the security screening at the Chandigarh airport.
This ugly drama was witnessed just two days after Ranaut was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Mandi constituency in Himachal Pradesh.
The CISF personnel involved, Kulwinder Kaur, has been suspended pending further inquiry. The CISF, which is responsible for the security at the airport, has ordered a departmental inquiry into the matter.
