As the sun rose this morning, Jodhpur Central jail, home to some 950 inmates, saw many queueing up outside barrack number 230.

Unaware of the crowd of admirers, mostly petty criminals and pickpockets, Qaidi Number 210 lay sprawled on a quilt in the barrack.

It had been a long night for the new prisoner, Salman Khan, and he was not to be easily disturbed. He had been rushed to this high-security jail yesterday after he was sentenced to five years in jail for killing a chinkara deer eight years ago, while shooting for Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Saath Saath Hain.

During that shoot, both on and off the camera, he was in the company of Saif Ali Khan and some of the most beautiful actresses. But in the 10X10 pigeonhole he had been sent to by the Jodhpur CJM, Salman had just one man for company.

Mahesh Dharma, his latest acquaintance, is serving a life-term in the prison for murder. Since his conduct in jail has been impeccable, he was considered safe to keep the star company.

Salman had come prepared for the stay, courtesy his one-night sojourn in the same jail in 1998, when he was arrested for the crime and kept in judicial custody. Aware that mosquitoes would make life miserable for him, Salman ordered a repellent cream before entering the barrack.

‘‘Since Salman has not been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment, he can wear the clothes he likes,’’ said jail superintendent M L Chauhan. A grateful Salman slipped into Bermuda shorts and a T-shirt in the Jodhpur heat.

... contd.