FICTION: Manoj Tiwari taking credit, blaming Salman Khan
Fact: On Sunday night there was lathi charge at the star-studded grand finale of Mahua TV's reality show Sur Sangram at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Some barricades were set on fire by the mob.
The rumour: Manoj Tiwari and his clique are busy calling media houses and spreading rumours that this was done by his supporters who got agitated when Ravi Kissen performed to a song from Salman Khan starrer Dabangg.
The Bhojpuri actor has been raging a one-sided war with against the host ever since he was voted out from the Bigg Boss house.
His inflated ego hasn't been able to digest the fact that he was defeated by Ashmit Patel. He blames Khan for his ouster.
The real story: Yes, there was mob fury. But they weren't Tiwari's fans or supporters.
There were close to two lakh people in the open venue, and about 1.5 lakh couldn't get a good view of the stage, so they got increasingly restless, impatient and angry.
Only 6000 chairs had been arranged for. In time, the crowds rose in number, turned unruly, broke chairs and pushed against the barricades set up near the VIP area.
Finally, they broke the VIP barricade and jumped in. They broke seats, pelted stones and set the barricades on fire.
Manoj Tiwari: Really Bad
"I never anticipated such a huge crowd gathering at the venue. It is the management's problem. They were not well prepared." When asked if Ravi Kissen's performance to Salman's Dabangg song had anything to do with the violence, he replies, "I don't know if that was the reason. But it was really bad.
The police could not control the situation and lathi charged them. People started pelting stones when the show started, but the problem only worsened after the police started lathi charge and they set fire to parts of the ground. I don't think that such a show will ever happen in Bihar again."
Near Miss: Sameera
Reddy didn't get to perform. She reveals, "The stage wasn't set on fire during Ravi's Dabangg act. I was backstage at around 8 pm when my spot boy came and told me that the crowds were getting restless.
I heard the music suddenly go off
followed by screaming. My spot boy told me there was a police lathi charge going on. My act was the last one but before I could
go on stage I could hear people shouting 'aag lagi hai'. The stage was vandalised after some guys managed to get through the barbed wire. The organisers told me I had to get out immediately. My manager covered me from head to toe with a shawl, we ran to a small car and escaped the crowds."
Ravi Kissen: Wasn't me
"Nothing happened during my Dabangg act. That guy (Manoj Tiwari) wants publicity and tried to malign Salman's name. I opened the show at 6 pm with the Dabangg title track. Everything went on smoothly and no one protested. The organisers were anticipating a crowd of a lakh-odd people, but the number swelled to over two lakhs and the security could not control them.
After my act, the show went on for two hours but the crowd wanted to see the actors and come closer to the stage. There was stone-throwing and breaking of chairs... the cops couldn't handle such a huge crowd. The stage wasn't set on fire but some cameras and speakers were.
What happened had nothing to do with Dabangg or Salman Khan. My act was over long before the trouble started."
