Wondering why his comments on mob violence were being misconstrued with some people calling him a “traitor”, actor Naseeruddin Shah said on Friday that he spoke as a “worried Indian” and has the right to express concerns about the country he loves.

The veteran actor finds himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks on the spate of mob lynching cases in the country following the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month.

He said the death of a cow was being given importance over killing of a policeman.”What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange,” Shah told reporters here at his alma mater, St Anselm’s Senior Secondary School.

“I have to bear criticism. If they have the right to criticise, then I also have the same right. I am expressing concerns about the country I love, the country that is my home. How is that a crime?” he asked.

In the interview, the actor expressed concern over the well-being of his children, who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion.”It will be very difficult to capture this jinn back into the bottle again. There is complete impunity for those who take law into their own hands. In many areas we are witnessing that the death of a cow is more significance than that of a police officer,” he added.