Another threat has been made against actor Salman Khan—this time through a chilling WhatsApp message sent to the Mumbai Traffic Police, warning that the superstar would be killed at his home and that a bomb would be planted in his car.
The police traced the number to a 26-year-old man from a village near Vadodara in Gujarat. But soon after, a new angle emerged: the suspect’s family claimed he is mentally unstable and currently undergoing treatment.
This is where things get complicated. Mental health must always be taken seriously—but when someone issues a direct threat against one of the country’s most high-profile figures, it can’t be brushed aside with a simple “he’s unwell.” There is a fine line between understanding mental illness and allowing it to become a convenient shield for dangerous behavior.
As ANI quoted the police, “Worli Traffic Control Room’s WhatsApp number received a threat message for actor Salman Khan wherein it was threatened that the actor would be killed at his home and an explosion would be executed in his vehicle.” That’s not vague or ambiguous. It’s specific. It’s deliberate. And it’s alarming.
The Mumbai Police have acted swiftly, registering an FIR and sending a notice to the accused, asking him to appear before the Worli Police within two to three days. While authorities will certainly factor in the suspect’s mental health, they also have a duty to treat the threat with the seriousness it demands—especially considering this comes exactly a year after multiple shots were fired outside Khan’s Bandra home.
Salman Khan, for his part, remains calm and philosophical. During promotions for his upcoming film Sikandar, he said, “God and Allah are with them. Whatever age is written for me, that’s what I’ll live. Sometimes, I have to take so many people along with me, and that’s where the problem lies.” His words reflect a quiet strength, but also reveal the exhausting reality of being constantly under threat.
The question now is: how often are we going to see these threats waved off with the “mentally unwell” label? This isn’t the first time Salman Khan has been targeted—and unless authorities dig deeper, it won’t be the last.
Whether the accused is mentally ill or not, there must be accountability. Public safety, especially when it concerns a figure as visible as Salman Khan, cannot afford to rely on assumptions. The investigation needs to be thorough, and the system must draw a line between genuine illness and misuse of the term.