Gorakhpur (UP) | Actress-turned-seer Mamta Kulkarni has found herself at the centre of controversy following her recent remarks that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim "is not a terrorist".
The statement went viral on social media, drawing sharp reactions.
Addressing a press conference during her three-day spiritual tour to Gorakhpur, Kulkarni on Tuesday said that Dawood Ibrahim "did not carry out the Mumbai blasts and is not a terrorist".
However, on Thursday, she issued a clarification, claiming her comments were misunderstood.
"I was referring to Vicky Goswami, not Dawood Ibrahim. Dawood is indeed a terrorist," she asserted.
Goswami, who was arrested on charges of drug trafficking and jailed in the past, was linked with the former film star.
Speaking to reporters in Gorakhpur, Kulkarni added that she has never met Dawood in person.
"I have no connection with politics or the film industry now. I am completely devoted to spirituality," she said.
"As a staunch follower of Sanatan Dharma, it is impossible for me to have any association with anti-national elements," she added.
Kulkarni made her controversial remarks during a media interaction at a city hotel on Tuesday. The next day, she visited the Gorakhnath Temple, where she offered prayers, met saints, and attended a bhajan sandhya along with Kinnar Akhada's Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi.
Sharing her spiritual journey, Kulkarni said, "My association with the Nath sect is purely spiritual. In 1995, Guru Gagan Giri Maharaj, a revered saint of the Nath tradition, entered my life and transformed it. Visiting Baba Gorakhnath's shrine has been a long-cherished wish, and today it stands fulfilled."
