Shah Rukh from a family of brave freedom fighters: Father’s friend

Trilochan Singh, who described himself as an old colleague of Khan’s late father Taj Mohd Mir, said Shah Rukh Khan came from a family of patriots and brave freedom fighters.

As fringe elements in the BJP attacked Shah Rukh Khan after he commented on the “climate of intolerance” in India, freedom fighter Trilochan Singh came to the actor’s defence, saying Khan belongs to a family of patriots who fought for India’s independence.

Shah Rukh Khan was attacked for commenting on ‘rising intolerance’ in India.(AFP)

Controversial BJP parliamentarian Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday accused the Bollywood star of “treason” and compared him with Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed after Khan commented on “extreme intolerance” in India.

Delhi-based Singh, who described himself as an “old colleague of Khan’s late father Taj Mohd Mir”, said, “(The actor) belongs to an illustrious family of brave freedom fighters, who not only spent years in jail but also suffered brutalities during the struggle for Indian’s freedom. What is more, Shah Rukh’s father was one of the few Muslims who migrated to India and settled in Delhi after Partition.”

Read: Who said what on Shah Rukh’s extreme intolerance comment

The NDA government struggled to keep BJP MPs and Hindu controversialists on a leash after Khan’s comments.

According to Singh, Shah Rukh Khan’s father “got involved in the freedom struggle during the Quit India years when he was a school student.”

“He was with me for a while in Peshawar Jail in 1943. He was an acclaimed and highly appreciated public speaker. Taj Mir’s elder brother, Ghulam Mohd Gama, was a spirited freedom fighter and rabidly anti–Muslim League.”