Actor Disha Patani’s father has defended her elder daughter, Khusboo, an army veteran, over remarks that had led to a controversy a month ago, while commenting on the recent firing at their house in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly. Jagdish Patani cited her daughter’s “freedom of speech” after a gangster warned the family against insulting Hindu deities.
“I don’t think anyone has made any indecent remark. If Acharya ji made a statement on women, then my daughter also made one. Everyone has freedom of speech. But I don’t think anyone would make such a big fuss over it,” said Jagdish Patani.
The controversy involving Khusboo Patani emerged late July after she accused popular katha vachak Aniruddh Acharya of making a “misogynist” remark in an Instagram story. Her remarks came to be seen as a criticism of spiritual leader Premanand Ji Maharaj, but she had clarified that her remarks were only against Aniruddh Acharya.
The issue was believed to have died down until yesterday, when two men turned up at the Patani residence and fired multiple rounds.
Virendra Charan, a member of the Goldy Brar gang, soon claimed responsibility for the firing, claiming Khusboo Patani had insulted Premanand Ji Maharaj. “Next time, if she or anyone else shows any disrespect towards our religion, we will not let them leave alive from their house,” he warned on Facebook.
The Patani sisters’ father said they were panicked, but said they would go about their daily schedule. Recalling the incident, he said he was an eyewitness to the firing.
“There were two men. One was riding the bike and had a helmet on. The other held a gun and wasn’t wearing a helmet,” he said. On being asked if he could recall how many rounds were fired, he answered negatively. “It was an automatic weapon that fires 8-10 rounds at the pull of the trigger, but we were too scared to count the rounds.”
He said the police are giving their best, and he could speak further on the matter after the shooter gets arrested.
The Khusboo Patani Controversy
Khusboo Patani, a former army officer who now works as a wellness coach, had been embroiled in a massive controversy over her criticism of Aniruddh Acharya. “If he would have been in front of me, I would have taught him a lesson,” she had said on Instagram.
Her remarks were misattributed to Premanand Ji Maharaj of Vrindavan. She issued an “official clarification” on July 10, asserting, she has “not made any statement against Premanand Ji Maharaj. My words were strictly in response to a misogynistic comment made by Anirudh Acharya and were directed only at him.”
“It deeply pains me to see people misusing and twisting my words, dragging my name and family name into something we have nothing to do with. This kind of targeted misinformation is not unethical but dangerous…To those spreading lies – truth always stands tall,” she had said, threatening legal action against any defamatory content.
The Goldy Brar gang carried out the firing in this backdrop. In their threat message, they said it was just a “trailer” and warned film artists to be ready to “face consequences” if they make any “disrespectful” comment on saints in the future.
“This message is not only for her but also for all the film artists and people associated with her. If anyone does any such disrespectful act related to our religion and saints in the future, then be ready to face the consequences. We are ready to go to any extent to protect our religion. For us, religion and the whole society are always one, and protecting them is our first duty,” the Facebook post read.
