Actress Soha Ali Khan opts out of Olympic torch relay

The Olympic torch relay in New Delhi on Thursday suffered yet another casualty with Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan today announcing she was pulling out of the event citing "very strong personal reasons." Soha's decision came signficantly on a day when the new Sports Minister M S Gill said he was not in favour of stars or politicians to be associated with the relay due to take place on Thursday and that only real athletes should carry the torch.

The actress' announcement also came close on the heels of football captain Baichung Bhutia and the country's first woman police IPS officer Kiran Bedi boycotting the event though for different reasons.

"I fully support the Olympic relay and am saddened at the disruptions in its path in various parts of the world as well as the violence in Tibet. But I can't run due to very strong personal reasons," Soha, who was initially a part of the relay with actor brother Saif Ali Khan and 'Rang de Basanti' co-star Aamir Khan, told reporters here.

On suggestions from sports fraternity that only sportspersons should run the Olympic torch relay, Soha said representatives from various fields belonging to the country through which torch relay passes, should be welcomed to run.

Bhutia had said his action was to express solidarity with Tibetan protestors while Bedi felt she did not carry the Olympic flame in a "suffocating security" environment, a reference to a massive security drill that will be in place to keep Tibetan protestors at bay.

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