2020 video of actor Salman Khan shared as him 'threatening' Lawrence Bishnoi

What’s the claim?

A video featuring Indian actor Salman Khan has circulated on social media, claiming he “threatened” Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi following the murder of veteran Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique.

In the video, Khan states, “Agreed, you are very brave, very powerful. But are you so brave, so powerful that you will shoulder the burden of your family members’ coffins? Will you carry their funeral pyre? Do you have that much courage in you? Are you becoming the messengers of death, like Yamaraj (the Hindu god of death) or Malakul Maut (the angel of death in Islam)?”

This video is being shared with claims that Khan's words were directed at Bishnoi. A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared the video, writing, “Salman Khan's message for Lawrence Bishnoi. Do you support Salman Khan?” 

The video also features overlaid Hindi text that translates to: “After everything that has happened, Salman Khan threatened Lawrence Bishnoi.” Archived versions of such posts can be found here, here, and here.

Screenshot of claims made online. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

Siddique, a senior politician of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), was shot dead on October 12. Bishnoi’s gang claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that Siddique was targeted due to his close ties with Khan. The actor has faced several threats from the Bishnoi gang over the years regarding his alleged involvement in the 1999 Blackbuck killing case, an animal considered sacred by the Bishnoi community—known for fiercely guarding the flora and fauna of the Thar desert region.

However, our investigation revealed that the viral video dates back to 2020, when Khan criticized individuals for violating COVID-19 lockdown rules.

What we found

Using a reverse image search with various keyframes from the viral clip, Logically Facts found a longer version on Khan’s official Instagram account (archived here) dated April 15, 2020. This confirms that the video is over four years old. In the original clip, Khan discusses COVID-19 and the lockdown but does not mention Bishnoi.

Before the part of the video that contains the now-viral remarks, Khan states, “Because of some jokers, this COVID-19 virus is spreading across the country. If your actions were good, so many doctors, nurses, police officials, and healthcare workers would not have gotten the virus, and we could have returned to normal life. While the pandemic had started in China and was subsiding there, because of some irresponsible people, India will be under lockdown for a longer time.”

The video was also uploaded to the Sansad TV YouTube channel (archived here) on April 16, 2020, with the caption: “Salman Khan's message to people violating lockdown.” The relevant portion can be seen at the 1:37 mark in this video.

Multiple news articles from April 2020 covered Khan’s remarks about the COVID-19 lockdown, which included the now-viral clip. The actor urged the public to adhere to lockdown regulations and emphasized the importance of collective responsibility during the pandemic.

It is important to note that, as of October 16, 2024, Khan has not issued any public comments about Bishnoi or Siddique's murder.

The verdict

The viral video of Salman Khan, falsely portrayed as a message aimed at Lawrence Bishnoi, actually dates back to April 2020. In that clip, the actor addressed the public about violations of COVID-19 lockdown regulations.