Naseeruddin Shah
Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah on Thursday said he fears for the life of his children in the present Indian society, which according to him, is contaminated with 'poison'.
The 68-year-old three-time National Award-winning actor said the "poison has already spread" and that it would be "difficult to capture this djinn back into the bottle again".
Shah said he feels "anxious" thinking about a situation where his children may be hounded by an angry mob asking to divulge their religious identity.
"I feel anxious for my children because tomorrow if a mob surrounds them and asks, 'are you a Hindu or a Muslim?'... they will have no answer. It worries me as I don't see the situation improving anytime soon."
In a short video uploaded on YouTube by Karwan-e-Mohabbat India (Caravan of Love), the actor further said that his children have not been provided with any religious education.
"I was given a religious education...But Ratna (Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin's wife) did not get any religious education... we chose not to give a religious education to our children," he said.
He added that he believes that "religion has nothing to do with good and evil".
Referring to the recent incident in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr where a police officer was killed in a mob violence spurred with the discovery of some cow carcasses, Shah remarked that a "cow's life seems to be more important than a cop's life".
"There is complete impunity for those who take the law into their own hands. We have already witnessed that the death of a cow has more significance than that of a police officer."
A few days ago, in a Facebook post, Shah had taken a jibe at India cricket captain Virat Kohli's on-field behaviour.
"Virat K is not only the worlds best batsman but also the worlds worst behaved player. His cricketing brilliance pales beside his arrogance and bad manners.. And I have no intention of leaving the country by the way," the post read.
WATCH: A cow's life has become more important than a cop's life, says Naseeruddin Shah
