The government in the Indian state of Maharashtra has ordered a probe into the police handling of a road accident involving Bollywood superstar, Salman Khan.

One person was killed and three others were injured when Mr Khan's vehicle went off the road and crashed into a bakery early on Saturday in northern Bombay.

The police have brought a case of careless driving against the film star, and he has since been released on bail.

Salman Khan is one of the Indian film world's biggest stars, and had recently been in the news after reportedly receiving threats from the Bombay underworld.

Bail questions

State deputy chief minister, Chagan Bhujbal, wants an inquiry into allegations of special treatment for Mr Khan.

Bail was set at some $20

Mr Khan was released on bail of 950 Rupees (less than $20) after giving himself up to police some hours after the accident.

He did not surrender himself at the scene of the crash.

Mr Bhujbal expressed his surprise over the decision to grant him bail on such a low amount.

"This perhaps would not have been possible in case of a common man," he is quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

Joint commissioner of Bombay police, Javed Anand, will conduct the investigation and submit his report in one week.

In another development, the police have withdrawn protection they gave to the star several months ago on the grounds that he was abusing the facility.

The police say that Mr Khan had been expecting his bodyguards to accompany him to social functions which often lasted until late into the night.

It is understood that a police bodyguard was in the vehicle at the time of the crash, which happened at around 0300 hours (local time).

Indian media reports said on Monday that the bodyguard in question had contradicted a statement by Mr Khan that the film star was not driving at the time of the accident.