Overview
- At a public event in Gorakhpur, Mamta Kulkarni said Dawood Ibrahim is not a terrorist and claimed he never carried out bomb blasts in India.
- Hours later, she issued a clarification stating her words were misunderstood, saying she had never met Dawood and was referring to Vicky Goswami.
- Clips from the event spread widely online, drawing sharp criticism and renewing debate over her past associations.
- Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam condemned the comments, demanded an unconditional apology, and cited court evidence linking Dawood to the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
- Coverage revisited her earlier naming in a Thane police drug-trafficking probe connected to Goswami, with the Bombay High Court later canceling the FIR against her.