Salman Khan’s NGO provided funds for heart-surgery of 600 children, request lighter punishment

#SalmanKhan’s lawyers say his NGO provided funds for heart-surgery of 600 children, request lighter punishment

Actor Salman Khan’s Being Human foundation has now put its weight behind health care initiatives in the country.
The foundation has tied up with the Marrow Donor Registry of India (MDRI) to create a database of marrow donors in India for patients suffering from blood-related illnesses such as leukaemia, thalassemia, aplastic anaemia and congenital immunodeficiency.

“We are trying to involve the younger generation by holding awareness and donation campaigns at colleges in the city. Our volunteers are going from class to class talking about the need for more donors and their role in saving lives,” said a spokesperson from the foundation.

One of the first colleges to take part was KJ Somaiya Institute, Sion, where a donation drive was held last week during the annual college festival. The spokesperson said that nearly 400 students signed up on the first day.

“We are glad that colleges are lending their full support to us. We hope more and more people will come forth and register with us, thus making a contribution towards saving many more lives,” the spokesperson added.

Haematologists say that at any given point in time, there are more than 3,000 patients looking for a matching marrow donor in the country. That’s where a database such as MDRI comes handy.

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Salman Khan: Bollywood star jailed for five years in hit-and-run case

An Indian court has sentenced Bollywood star Salman Khan to five years in jail for killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run driving incident in Mumbai.

The man was among five people who were run over in the incident. The actor wascharged with culpable homicide.

Khan had said his driver was behind the wheel, but the judge said the actor was driving the car and was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

Legal experts expect the actor to appeal against the verdict.

Khan’s lawyers have already applied for bail in the Bombay high court which is expected to hear the case shortly, reports say. The actor remains in the trial court while his fate is being decided.

Correspondents say the guilty verdict is a huge setback for Khan although he could have been jailed for 10 years.

The actor is one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, appearing in more than 80 Hindi-language films. Several of his films, including Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun, have been huge commercial hits.

On Wednesday morning, as the actor drove to court with his family and friends, fans prayed for the actor’s acquittal.

But Judge DW Deshpande found him guilty on the charge of culpable homicide.

“You were driving the car; you were under the influence of alcohol,” he told the actor as soon as the court proceedings began.

The 49-year-old actor was also found guilty of negligent driving and causing grievous harm to the victims and given separate terms for each offence, but defence lawyers said all the sentences would run concurrently.