Bollywood News: “I was being bullied. I was angry, but I was not drunk,” superstar Shah Rukh Khan has said, finally speaking about last night’s incident at the Wankhade stadium. He says he is owed an apology. The actor has been banned from the stadium by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), which has also filed a police complaint accusing him of being drunk and misbehaving, abusing, manhandling, using filthy language against guards and abusing a woman. Shah Rukh Khan says his children were “physically manhandled in the name of security,” and he will file a written complaint against the MCA, which, he says, needs a lesson in polite behavior.
Shah Rukh Khan said he had not attended the match, in which his IPL team the Kolkata Knight Riders beat the Mumbai Indians. He recounted that he only went to the stadium to pick up his children and saw that stadium officials “were pushing, touching little girls, and that is unpardonable.” He has also denied that he abused a woman fan.
Shah Rukh Khan said he had not attended the match, in which his IPL team the Kolkata Knight Riders beat the Mumbai Indians. He recounted that he only went to the stadium to pick up his children and saw that stadium officials “were pushing, touching little girls, and that is unpardonable.” He has also denied that he abused a woman fan.
The popular actor was dismissive about the MCA’s ban saying “I would not like to go to a stadium where people are so rude.” Shah Rukh admitted he had used abusive language but said it was provoked. “I took little children for the match and 40 grown-up people came charging aggressively at me,” he said. “I think my behavior is absolutely correct. I would still do the same thing if they misbehaved with my kids or kids that I am taking care of,” the actor said.
The MCA, which administers the Wankhade stadium, has alleged that the actor tried to force his way onto the grounds after the match and when he was prevented from doing so, got abusive and pushed people.
Central minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who heads the MCA, said, “I was told he used abusive language…they tried to pacify him but he wasn’t in the mood,” said In Delhi, Rajiv Shukla, the chairman of the IPL said that reports of a ban are incorrect. He said a decision has yet to be taken, and that the version of “the franchisee” will also be considered. There are no other matches scheduled for his team at the Wankhede Stadium for the rest of the tournament.
The Mumbai Police say they are verifying facts in the complaint that the MCA has filed against Shah Rukh Khan, the Morani brothers and others. ACP Iqbal Sheikh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, said the actor, who smelt of alcohol, seemed to have taken umbrage at some members of his entourage being told not to be on the ground. He also said that smelling of alcohol was not an offence and he was sure the actor had not been drinking at the stadium.
The top cop said he arrived at the site of the scuffle late and had whisked away the actor to defuse the situation. Shah Rukh Khan, he said, was shouting abuses as he was pulled away. “There was a heated argument…only foul language was used,” the cop said.
The police said they are trying to trace witnesses to piece together the incident as it happened. They would call the actor in only if required, ACP Iqbal said.
The MCA is holding its ground. “We have decided to ban him for life from entering the stadium in future,” MCA treasurer Ravi Savant said, adding “SRK was dead drunk, our security tried to stop him but he pushed him and abused in such filthy language that I cannot use it here.”
Mr Savant said after KKR’s 32-run rout of the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Shah Rukh Khan and his posse of bodyguards went up to the teams’ dressing room and then came down and tried to go on to the ground.
The actor has been caught in controversy before when he was seen smoking on April 8 at the Sawai Man Singh in Jaipur much to the disapproval of many. This is also the second brawl that the actor has allegedly been involved in in recent times. Some months ago he was reported to have got into a scuffle with Shirish Kunder, the husband of director Farah Khan at a private party hosted by Sanjay Dutt in Mumbai.
The Shah Rukh Khan controversy also comes very soon after the cash-rich T-20 tournament was rocked by a sting operation conducted by a TV news channel, in which five IPL players were purportedly caught on camera indulging in spot-fixing and other “murky deals.” A BCCI inquiry into that will begin today. Ravi Sawani, who heads the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit will conduct the inquiry.
The five accused players have been suspended pending the inquiry report.
