SRK faces Wankhede ban, claims innocence

Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan faced the prospect of being banned from the Wankhede Stadium after an alleged scuffle with Maharashtra Cricket Association officials as the IPL was rocked by fresh controversy here on Thursday.
   
The MCA's managing committee will meet tomorrow for emergency meeting where a final decision will be taken on a proposal to ban Khan from entering the Wankhede Stadium as both parties accused each other of misbehaviour that provoked the brawl.
   
Khan categorically denied that he was drunk and claimed that the scuffle broke out after MCA officials manhandled his kids who he had come to pick after the IPL match between KKR and Mumbai Indians. MCA officials, who have lodged a police complaint against the actor, however, gave a different version.
   
"The president (Vilasrao Deshmukh) has asked us to convene the MCA managing committee meeting urgently tomorrow. The proposal to ban Shah Rukh Khan will be the only item on the agenda and after a decision is taken it will be sent to the Cricket Board formally," informed MCA secretary Nitin Dalal.
   
The Bollywood star had an altercation with the security and officials of the association after the Knight Riders' thumping victory, according to MCA treasurer Ravi Savant.
  
"He misbehaved and abused the MCA security personnel as well as MCA officials, including our president Vilasrao Deshmukh, after the IPL match (between KKR and Mumbai Indians). We have decided to ban him for life from entering the stadium in future," said Savant, who alleged that the actor was in a totally inebriated state.
   
Within days of a TV sting operation that implicated five players in spot-fixing, the cash-rich T20 league was hit by another furore last night with one of the IPL's franchise owners in the spotlight.   

"We have lodged a complaint against him at the Marine Drive police station (for his alleged misbehaviour against MCA officials)," said Dalal.
   
As the incident grabbed intense media attention, Khan broke his silence by addressing a press conference at his home where the police had earlier come to interrogate him.
   
"I was not drunk, I had gone to pick up my children. The officials were extremely aggressive. I just got angry but I left after that. I said a few things in anger. I was one and they were 20-25 officials and they were extremely rude. When I tried to answer them, they hid behind others," Khan said.
   
"They should apologise to me. They were extremely high-handed," he added.
   
Asked about the reported ban on him by the MCA, Khan said, "If this is the kind of behaviour meted out to people then I would not go there. There were people rushing at me aggressively. I think it's unpardonable that you manhandle kids in the name of security."
   
"I don't know about the ban. I will call (MCA head Vilasrao) Deshmukh. I will write a complaint about their behaviour and the kind of language they used," he added.
   
Khan conceded he was also aggressive during the brawl but did it only on provocation.
   
"To be abusive to fans or audience that's not me. They manhandled little girls. I would not deny that I was abusive but it started that this gentleman came from behind to say something in Marathi which I cannot repeat. I asked him to speak in Hindi.
   
"There was nothing illegal, I was not on the pitch. I know the rules," he said.
   
IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla, however, said that a final decision on the matter of banning Khan would only be taken after getting the version of all the involved parties.
   
"I will take the version of the MCA, Shah Rukh Khan and the police before talking about the issue," he told reporters in New Delhi.
   
"The decision on ban is taken by the Working Committee so I will speak to MCA President Vilasrao Deshmukh on this. I have to take the version of all the parties involved and then speak," Shukla added.
  
On whether MCA would lodge a complaint with the BCCI over one of the Khan's behaviour, Savant said all the altercation had taken place in the presence of IPL CEO Sundar Raman and BCCI's media manager Devendra Prabhudesai.
   
"Of course we will lodge a complaint with the BCCI also," said Savant.
  
According to MCA sources, the Bollywood actor also broke the camera and lens of a photographer accredited to cover the match.
   
Police also began an inquiry into the alleged scuffle after a written complaint was filed by Joint Secretary of Mumbai Cricket Association, Nitin Dalal, with Marine Drive police station.
  
According to Assistant Police Commissioner Iqbal Shaikh, police reached the stadium last night soon after they were informed about the alleged misbehaviour of Khan with MCA officials.