A Brother's anguish..... In Jodhpur Sohail Khan speaks To Subhash K Jha

Sohail hasn't slept much in the last two days. His star-brother Salman Khan is in trouble....yet again. And it looks like serious trouble.

Sohail has been in consultation with lawyers all night. "They're competent and they know what they're doing. But they're helpless. With due respects to the law, our lawyers think the five-year sentence is unjust.

Our lawyers don't know what's a happening. If it was a three-year sentence, the honorable judge himself could've granted bail.

He pronounced his sentence at 1.30 pm when the sessions court had already closed....It all seems strange...and now the hearing for the bail has been postponed for tomorrow. I can't understand this."

Sohail met Salman on Tuesday. "He's all right...he's all right....He's in good health...and yes, he's eating. It's my mom we're worried about. After she heard the sentence she couldn't take it.

She was expecting the bail today (Wednesday). Now we don't know how to break the postponement to her. She can't bear the thought that Salmanbhai is helpless in jail.

The entire Khan clan is under tremendous pressure. He sighs deeply. "It's really sad. But because of who my brother is, they want to make an example out of him. Why such a harsh punishment for him? Do they want to set a precedent ?. Till date no one has been granted such a punishment for similar incidents ..."

Sohail's voice gets edgy. "My brother even went to jail for an accident case. An accident cannot be considered a crime."

There's an anguished silence. "I know he doesn't speak up in the press. But that's the way he is. He doesn't open up to anybody. Does that give anyone the right to hunt him down for offences that are not granted such severe sentences in other cases?

Right now it's become like a power game. 'Let's hunt this boy down. Let's bring him down to his knees.' Please, let my brother be! He's suffered enough. And we're suffering with him."

Sohail protests about the lack of space in the Khan household at this time of crisis. "My mom was being taken to the hospital. But there was no room for the ambulance to move.

The lack of sensitivity when someone is in distress ...that's completely not understandable. Anything could've happened to our mother. Fortunately she's fine."

He pauses to reflect. "What do thet want? Do they really want Salmanbhai to to go to jail for five years? Will that make them happy? From what we see it seems some people are working towards putting him in.

If, God forbid, tomorrow he's locked away they'll say, it's a very harsh punishment because producers and films are suffering. But what about us, what about Salmanbhai? Does anyone know what we're going through? I'd request some amount of restrain."

Sighs Sohail, "When people say, treat Salman like any ordinary citizen we say, please do. Because right now he is being treated much worse than any ordinary citizen. Why is he being made into an example?

And if he's being made into an example is everyone in a black buck case going to go to prison and is everyone involved in a road accident going to go to jail? Chalo theek hai...aapne Salman-bhai ko andar kiya. Ab sab ko karo."

Sohail will remain in Jodhpur until further development. "I'm here with my sister. I'm all right. Today I was disappointed when the bail please was rejected. But that's okay. Tomorrow is another day. Salmanbhai will survive."