Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Mumbai, with three shots fired at his vehicle. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility, linking the attack to Salman Khan's decades-long feud with the Bishnoi community over the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. The incident reignites tensions in the Hindi film industry, with threats extending to other actors.
THE FIRING AT BOLLYWOOD ACTOR Tiger Shroff’s vehicle in Mumbai’s Juhu area sent shockwaves across the Hindi film industry on the evening of October 18, 2026. The actor was inside his vehicle when three shots were fired at him. Shroff was unharmed in the attack, but two others, including the actor’s driver, were injured. Moments later, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang took responsibility for carrying out the attack.
As per media reports, a message has been circulated by the Bishnoi gang that has once again named actor Salman Khan. The perpetrators have linked the firing at Tiger Shroff with Khan over a case dating back more than two decades that started the rift between Salman Khan and the Bishnoi community, a religious sect found in parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana.
Over the years, Khan’s controversial 1998 poaching case involving a blackbuck turned into a never-ending feud with the Bishnoi clan. The gang has now allegedly claimed in its statement, “Whoever in the Mumbai film industry does not listen to us or works with Salman Khan, they will be next. Wait and watch.”
The feud between the Bishnoi community and Salman Khan began in the 1990s. The Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor had just completed 10 years in the Hindi film industry and was reportedly shooting for his next film, Hum Saath Saath Hain, starring Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Karisma Kapoor, and Mohnish Bahl. The film was one of the biggest blockbusters of Salman Khan’s career but also became a dreaded chapter in his life following an incident during its shooting.
Reports suggest that two blackbucks were allegedly killed in Rajasthan’s Kankani village in Jodhpur in October 1998. Blackbucks are Indian antelopes native to the country. They are highly respected by the Bishnoi community. In the blackbuck poaching case, Salman Khan and his co-stars in the film were accused of being involved, marking the beginning of the never-ending feud between Khan and the Bishnoi community.
Adding fuel to the fire, blackbucks are also protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, making it more controversial. As per a report by WION News, the alleged incident was witnessed by two members of the Bishnoi community, named Poonamchand Bishnoi and Chhogaram Bishnoi.
Known for their commitment to protecting wildlife, the community filed a complaint against actor Salman Khan. Other actors were reportedly booked for unlawful assembly but were later acquitted in the case. However, Salman Khan’s fate somehow became permanently intertwined with that of the Bishnoi community after that day. He was arrested but was later released on bail. The legal trial in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case continued for years and subsequently led to a long series of threats against the actor from Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
In 2006, the Hum Saath Saath Hain actor was found guilty by a trial court under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, for illegally hunting two blackbucks in Rajasthan during the shooting of his film. He was sentenced to five years in prison, a verdict he appealed. He spent some time in Jodhpur Central Jail but was later granted bail.
The court rejected Salman Khan’s appeal against his five-year prison sentence and the fine in 2007. He later approached the Rajasthan High Court, which allowed him to remain out of prison while the case was still ongoing.
The legal battle continued for years. In 2012, the Rajasthan High Court finalized the charges under section 9/51 of the wildlife protection act against Salman Khan and the other accused in the poaching case.Another case was also filed under Sections 3/25 and 3/27 of the Arms Act for allegedly possessing and using a firearm with an expired licence, WION News reported.
Salman Khan was acquitted by the Rajasthan High Court in 2016 due to a lack of evidence. His acquittal was challenged by the Rajasthan government in the Supreme Court. The top court then decided to fast track the trail.
Two years later, a trial court in Jodhpur sentenced him to five years in prison in 2018. The other key accused in the case, including Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu, and Neelam Kothari, were acquitted in 2018 due to insufficient evidence linking them to the blackbuck poaching case.
Salman Khan was granted bail by the Jodhpur Sessions Court after spending two days in prison. The actor subsequently requested that his case be transferred from the Jodhpur Sessions Court to the Rajasthan High Court. His request was approved by the Rajasthan High Court in 2022.
Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who heads the Bishnoi gang, has repeatedly threatened Bollywood actor Salman Khan over the blackbuck poaching case. The first major threat from Lawrence Bishnoi came in 2018, when he threatened to kill Khan. In 2022, a letter was left at Bandra Bandstand, where Salman’s father and renowned screenwriter, Salim Khan, went for his morning walks.
The letter allegedly claimed that Salman Khan would meet the same fate as Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was shot dead on May 29, 2022. Members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang later claimed responsibility for Sidhu Moose Wala’s death.
The threats escalated when two men opened fire outside Galaxy Apartments, Salman Khan’s residence in the Bandra area. In 2024, former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead in front of his son’s office. Baba Siddique’s death was later linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that he had helped Salman Khan.
The recent shooting attempt targeting actor Tiger Shroff has once again brought Salman Khan’s feud with the Bishnoi community into the limelight. All three assailants involved in the assassination attempt on Shroff have been apprehended at Kota railway station in Rajasthan.
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
[Og/VS/HP]
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