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Bollywood star Salman Khan was found guilty Thursday of illegally killing rare deer in a wildlife refuge in 1998. An Indian court sentenced the actor to five years in prison.
Salman Khan denies he shot two blackbuck deer 20 years ago in a western India nature preserve.
The blackbuck is an endangered animal protected under the Indian Wildlife Act.
On Thursday, Khan heard the ruling in court in the western city of Jodhpur.
Bollywood star Salman Khan, second left, arrives for court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan state, India, April 5, 2018. Khan was convicted Thursday of poaching rare deer in a wildlife preserve two decades ago and could face up to six years in prison.
News of the sentencing made the actor a popular topic on social media. The hashtag #BlackBuckPoachingCase trended worldwide Thursday on Twitter. In India, the hashtag #WeLoveYouSalmanKhan was another top trend.
Some Bollywood performers expressed their support for Khan. Actor Arjun Rampal said on Twitter, "My heart goes out....I feel this is too harsh."
Khan, who is 52 years old, has starred in more than 90 Hindi-language films. They include "Sultan," "Ek Tha Tiger," and "Tiger Zinda Hai," which was released last year.The court ruled that four other Bollywood stars also accused in the case were innocent. They were in the car that Khan was said to be driving during the hunt.
The actor had been sentenced to prison in other poaching cases in the past. However, each time he has been acquitted by appeals courts for lack of evidence. He was also acquitted in 2014 in a drunken-driving case.
Salman Khan spent a total of 18 days in prison in 1998, 2006 and 2007 in the poaching cases.
And that's What's Trending Today.
The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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